Sam Brownback, senator of R-Kan
The guy once thought of as the potential "true conservative" in the race lurched through this debate without a consistent message. His upbeat mention of an Iranian bus drivers' strike probably did not rouse the spirits of as many GOPers as his frontal assault on former president Clinton. His soft positions on Iraq and immigration left him seeming blurry on the two biggest issues of the day. Small consolation, but he still appeared more dignified than several other members of the Little 7.
— by Mark Halperin