The Hiller Instinct: Hiller Instinct: Republicans rumble

No, because this debate was driven more by the clock than the candidates were. Ten republicans dividing  90 minutes is less than nine minutes each, when you factor in the questions. That's not enough time to say very much, or to get in much trouble, meaning that this debate didn't much change the Republican race.

With enough candidates to field a baseball team--and have a designated hitter--it was difficult for any of them to get many swings.

So, the spotlight was on the party's sluggers, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney--who all said the U.S. must now stay in Iraq.

Rudy Giuliani (R-N.Y.)
"We should never retreat in the face of terrorism, terrible mistake."

John McCain (R-Ariz.)
"If we withdraw, there will be chaos, there will be genocide, and they will follow us home."

Mitt Romney (R-Mass.)
"I want to get our troops home as soon as I possibly can. But at the same time, we don't want to get them out in such a precipitous way that we have to come back.”

Osama bin Laden was a debate flashpoint, when Romney was forced to defend his recent "it's not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person."

Mitt Romney (R-Mass.)
"We’ll move everything to get him, but I don't want to buy into the Democratic pitch that this is all about one person."

That wasn't nearly enough for McCain.

John McCain  (R-Ariz.)
"We will do whatever necessary. We will track him down, we will bring him to justice, and I’ll follow him to the gates of hell."

Romney was also called on to defend his flip-flop on abortion.

Mitt Romney (R-Mass.)
"I took the same course that Ronald Reagan and Bush, and I said I was wrong and changed my mind, and said I’m pro-life." 

Giuliani struggled with the abortion issue: he was the only debater who said it would be alright if the Supreme Court upholds Roe v. Wade, but wouldn’t say much beyond that.  

Rudy Giuliani (R-N.Y.)
“I think the court has to make that decision and then the country can deal with it."

Ten candidates are just too many for a debate.
Predictably, the GOP's big three, sometimes referred to as "Rudy McRomney," dominated the event.

Giuliani was very New York: confident and challenging, McCain proved he still has passion, while Romney showed he's not out of his league in this race. The rest remain the rest, and with no memorable lines, this debate isn't likely to be remembered. Live in the newsroom, I’m Andy Hiller, and that is my Instinct.

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