Romney's Rhetoric Won't Derail McCain

The 2008 Republican presidential primary debate season ended last night where it began last May: The Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. Since May, seven candidates have dropped to the wayside, including the most recent casualty, Rudy Giuliani. Two hours before the debate, he endorsed John McCain.

So only four men remained to debate. But the race for the nomination has really been narrowed to two contenders: John McCain and Mitt Romney. Romney scored a clear win in the debate battle, but will McCain's resolute nature and momentum from Florida ultimately win him the nomination?

CNN's debate moderator, Anderson Cooper, announced at the outset there would be no rules for the debate. But one rule became clear: Ignore Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee in favor of a McCain-Romney rumble. The top two candidates obliged by trading blows on several issues: their records in office, the economy and Iraq.

McCain assessed his own political career last night:

"And I unequivocally put my career and my political fortunes on the line and unequivocally said we're going to support this surge [in Iraq]. We're not going to talk about timetables or anything else; we're going to talk about winning and what's necessary to win."

McCain's support for the surge certainly has served him well. His experience on foreign affairs has curried favor with Republicans who believe the assertion: "I don't need any on-the-job training" in defense of the country. ...