Republican Debate: No Runs, No Hits, No Errors

At some point, we'll get to the primaries and this seemingly endless debating will be a distant memory. For the moment, the debates serve as a sort of political batting practice, where home runs aren't scored and whiffs are quickly forgotten. Yesterday's hoorah was little different.

Scanning the headlines this morning, the mish-mash of statements about the candidates show only one clear loser: John McCain. McCain has almost been annointed the official afterthought of the campaign. Some headlines scream Thompson stinks, some say he won, some highlight Rudy and Romney's tax rift, but none include the Arizona Senator.

Only on CNN did he get a mention, and that came when the subject of immigration rolled around. The analysts were saying McCain has changed his tune. He could be singing clear pitch on that one and nobody will listen. McCain's credibility on immigration is about as solid as Hillary Clinton's on ethics in fundraising.

As for the other candidates, nothing was won or lost. No one was injured by a fastball on the knuckles. That's about as good as one can hope to achieve in batting practice.