I had really been looking forward to the first Republican debate, but I can't help feeling like it was a bit of a let down. Why? It was far more boring that these debates are supposed to be, in large part because the candidates appeared to be afraid to disagree with one another. It was almost as if they did not understand that voters are trying to decide between them and not between all of them collectively vs. President Obama.

Even though I realize that Newt Gingrich was not a serious candidate, I found myself expecting more from him. He's supposed to be one of the GOP's top ideas men, but he seemed to have nothing new to offer. I guess I had hoped he would at least act like he was taking the process seriously, but I don't think his performance fooled anyone.

Going into the debate, I found myself thinking that this was make-or-break time for Tim Pawlenty. His performance was so bad that I actually found myself feeling sorry for him a couple of times. It was clear that he is now trying to present himself as a far-right extremist on many issues, but he simply didn't come across as remotely genuine or presidential. He botched a golden opportunity to go after Romney, something which most observers agree that he has to do in order to remain competitive.

With Pawlenty falling flat, Romney ended up looking better. I have been thinking of him as the front-runner, and I did not see anything during the debate that made me change my mind. He is willing to say whatever it takes to get elected, and he certainly comes across as the most presidential of any of the candidates. He can go the the far-right extremes when he needs to, but he can also appeal to moderates.

Herman Cain showed quite convincingly that he is not ready for prime time. He was incapable of delivering a clear answer on whether he would require some sort of loyalty oath just for Muslims who wanted to be a part of his administration. He ended up sounding like a confused bigot who has not thought through the implications of his proposed hiring practices.

When it comes to reliable craziness, Bachmann never disappoints. But what I found most shocking about the debate over all was that the other candidates did not seem that far from her extremist positions. In fact, the could be seen nodding in agreement when she proposed abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency! Even while she continually reminded everyone how many children she has, she seemed content to sentence them to a future without clean air and water. I expected someone might attempt to appeal to moderate Republicans, but nobody did.

What about Ron Paul and Rick Santorum? Paul did the same thing he always does, reminding everyone that he will never be a serious contender for the presidency. And Santorum seemed to be doing his best to try to repair his awful image. But it is far too late for him.

As the debate wrapped up, the first thought that went through my mind was that President Obama is going to have a fairly easy time winning re-election if this is the best the GOP can do.

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