The Republican Merry-Go-Round After Arizona

It must be difficult presenting yourself as a man of firm principles when your past political career has sadly had to see those principles compromised in the interests of 'teamwork'. That at least seemed to be Rick Santorum's problem in the latest primary debate, hosted by CNN. The current newest challenger to Mitt Romney's putative crown had a poor showing in the debate, unusually having to defend moderate actions to, of all people, the Great Inconstant himself, Romney. It's a mean debate when Mitt Romney, of all people, can have a go at you for being responsible for Obamacare (admittedly by association - Santorum once endorsed former Republican Senator Arlen Specter, who famously defected to the Democrats and helped Obamacare pass the Senate).

The website Politico has put together Santorum's "Five Fluffed Lines" in this video, and reports more broadly on the debate as a whole here. Their view that the night was Santorum's to lose - and he did - is challenged by the Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz in their round-up here. Whoever might be deemed to have 'won' or 'lost' it, however, it certainly hasn't laid the Republican nomination anywhere near to its resting place. The show goes on. Happy Mr. Obama. No wonder he allowed himself to be prevailed upon to sing a couple of blues lines!