CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) - CNN Pipeline analyst Arianna Huffington is picked up on the subtle debate tactics being employed tonight.

"Romney didn't repeat the word Mormon when asked about his faith, that was smart," Huffington said.

Republican strategist Michael Murphy agreed: "Good answer Mitt, good answer."

Huffington and Murphy say that Romney is setting the tone for the field.

"Giuliani mentioned the Apollo project and Mitt is laughing to himself, since he was the one who came up with it first. Mitt is on tonight," concluded Murphy.

– CNN Contributor Josh Lipsky