Bill - You're spot on. Romney accurately called McCain's lying about timetables a dirty charge , not this issue of when Romney supported the surge. It was a page right out of the Clintons' playbook.

As Jayson astutely points out, McCain, as a Senator, had access to far more info with which to have opinions regarding troop levels. I applaud Romney for not wanting to take a firm position without first having the facts. Is that wrong to suggest that people should make informed decisions?

The Straight Talk Express is broken. McCain Lies

I have a completely different view now of Romney. He came across to me as an egotistical bully who doesn't know when to shut up and listen. I've seen his type in boardrooms where the poor staffer with the most sense gets talked down. Don't know who his advisers are, but I'll bet they wouldn't cross him more than once. McCain came across as the experienced "adult" and Huckabee got shafted by the interviewers. Ron Paul, as usual, has the facts about where our country is headed, but needs to quit talking over our heads about monetary policy.

I think that Mitt Romney won the debate. He just seems to make more sense than the others. John McCain is more left than right. Romney did a great job as Govenor in MA. Look who he had to deal with…Ted Kennedy. This McCain/Kennedy thing worries me. McCain has let his party down believe me. He's for open borders, increased taxes. Romney was right…McCain throws out lies and lets the media run with it. Romney is my man.

I am sad to see comments suggesting they don't trust McCain. Romney constantly shapes and molds himself to the perfect PC conservative candidate. People have forgotten that McCain put his whole career on the line last spring when he supported pushing to protect the people and the effort in Irag with the surge. That is why so many people are endorsing McCain; he is an honorable man and doesn't play dirty. There is a reason why people who know Romney don't endorse him; he is very sly in the background and then looks like, who me?

Romney had a great deal of enthusiasm tonight. He really believes in what he says and he defended his position strongly on McCain's comment. McCain seemed to be insulted by everything that happened tonight. I didnt like his body language and I dont appreciate how he carried on about the timetable thing.

As a fellow service academy graduate, I would like to feel sypathetic to McCain's candidacy. Unfortunately, he came across tonight as very un-executive. He seemed to take Romney's quote out of context. He argued like an unpolished school child about a rather insignifigant issue (and was wrong). Moreover, he threw in unrealted pot shot about how businessmen lay off workers. That plays into fears and is said from a standpoint of jealousy toward people who are successful in private enterprise. I guess he forgot to mention that a CEO also creates jobs and also, through successful leadership, pays taxes to the muincipal, state and federal government.

Romney showed remarkable patience in trying to debate a very uninspired an non-intellectual opponent tonight. Mccain, though a decorated war hero and no-nonsense defense expert, is a unilateral candidate (security issues) and not up to the task.

By far the best speaker the lot is Huckabee.

I think unfortunately McCain just took a major blow to his campaign. His words at times were trying to come out before he knew what he was going to say. He looked like a fool arguing about "lying in the bushes"….. read the quote as it was actually said John. Come on… It would be interesting to see the Florida results had this debate been prior to. Huckabee came out the overall winner…

Romany is the better candidate. John McCain is such a liar he will say anything to win. I don’t trust him. John McCain says the same thing over and over because he is jealous of Romney’s success, all of them are. Ron Paul needs to get out, so does Huckabee. John McCain is also too old and set in his ways. He has no new ideals, just a warmonger. All he talks about is the same thing, and how he was a foot solder for Reagan. I for one am tired of seeing him on TV. If the United States elects him we will have the same kind of man as Bush, no change.

It saddens me to see a great War hero dishonor himself so badly with semantics over "laying in wait in the bushes." A fifth grader can see through your argument Senator McCain. Shame on you. I sincerely thought you were above that, but obviously not.

McCain's disingenuity here is painful to watch. I've lost a lot of respect for him, and gained as much for Romney.