Was last night's GOP debate the most important so far? In some ways, the closer we get to the actual voting, the more important each debate will get. But, in NRO's Byron York's view, last night confirmed that the GOP has five serious contenders for the nomination, each with, if not equal, at least equitable chances.
Here's York:
Before Friday and Saturday, when all the candidates appeared at the Values Voters Summit in Washington, and Sunday, when they gathered for the Fox News debate in Orlando, we wondered whether Rudy Giuliani could survive an appearance before socially conservative voters; whether Fred Thompson could show the energy that primary voters demand in a candidate; whether John McCain could regain his place in the contest's first tier; and whether Mike Huckabee could fully ascend to that top grouping. Now, we know the answers are "yes" on all counts. Those answers, along with the continued strength of Mitt Romney -- despite doubts about his record among the voters to whom it means the most -- mean that there are now five real contenders for the Republican nomination. It is the most wide-open race in a very long time.
York then goes on to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each of the candidates and how each helped himself last night. Worth a read.
My two cents is that Thompson probably helped himself most. One of Thompson's biggest strengths right now is his novelty. But Thompson is also getting to the point where his novelty is wearing off (if he isn't already there), and once he becomes just another candidate, he loses some of his original appeal. He showed that he belonged in the top-tier, which he needed to do quickly.
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