Played the foreign policy experience card whenever he could. Got aggressive on Iraq, challenging the other candidates to join him in calling for the immediate withdrawal of American troops, but wasn't able to explain his position in clear terms. Tried to make a virtue of his many gaffes on the campaign trail, but his scripted celebration of his lack of scriptedness fell flat. Often showed his sense of humor, to good effect. His best debate, by far.
—Mark Halperin