GOP debate on the surface: S.C V.2.0

Is it debate fatigue or was CNN's pre-South Carolina primary debate intensely boring? Thank God for THE BLAZE's live chats. Here are the kibbles and bits:

1. How awesome was the audience? It forced John King, who moderated, to get with the program and allow Ron Paul to answer a question about abortion, given Paul's background as a medical doctor. If it weren't for the audience, King would have coasted by the obvious choice of letting a doctor talk about health care.

2. But speaking of Paul, someone get him a new tie. This was the third debate in a row in which he wore same terrible 1970s-patterend necktie. On the other hand, Paul called Rick Santorum "overly sensitive" at one point, and that was pretty funny.

3. Santorum did very well for himself. "Grandiosity has never been a problem with Newt Gingrich. He handles it very well," Santorum said, responding to a question about a suggestion by Gingrich that Santorum should drop out of the race. It's about time someone called Gingrich out on that, am I right? He also accused Gingrich of not having "cogent thoughts."

4. Gingrich consistently performs well in the debates. He sticks it to the moderator(s) and the audience loves it. But his outrage over being asked about the new interview his ex-wife granted to ABC News was a bit of pious baloney. Most Americans care more about jobs, I'm sure. But it was an issue that would have inevitably been brought up and better sooner than later.

5. Finally, Mitt Romneystood up for himself and his record as a CEO at Bain Capital. "I'm not going to apologize for being successful," he said. But it would have been more impressive had he kept his hands out of his pockets.

6. Rick Perry: Gone but not forgotten.