We call it! Winners and losers from GOP match in New Hampshire

By Joe Holley
Houston Chronicle

Those who know Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and now high-flying presidential candidate, know that he is a professional wrestling fanatic. Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan ? those guys are heroes of his.

On Saturday night in Manchester, N.H., Santorum found himself at the center of the ring in the biggest battle royale of his political career. The pesky Pennsylvanian, known as a brawling, no-holds-barred lawmaker before being tossed off the solon circuit in 2006, had to prove that he could go toe-to-toe with local favorite Mitt Romney, whose ?Massachusetts Mauler? nickname is something of an ironic misnomer for most fight fans.

Also bouncing about Saturday night?s elimination chamber were Rick ?The Bunkhouse Baron? Perry, desperately trying to keep from being tossed over the top rope; Newt ?The Georgia Grinch? Gingrich, an old pro and former fan favorite whose white hat has gotten a big begrimed lately; Ron ?Dr No? Paul, a wily veteran venerable enough to have tangled with Gorgeous George; and Jon ?The Ghost? Huntsman, a little-known newcomer who could be retiring from the ring after this weekend?s back-to-back Survivor Island episodes from New Hampshire.

Not unlike a wrestling smackdown, the Saturday night debate got off to a raucous start, with Santorum stalking Romney, Paul chasing Santorum and Paul calling Gingrich ?a chicken hawk.? The debate settled down after awhile, and by the end the referee?s job was fairly easy.

WINNERS

MITT ROMNEY: Think of the former Massachusetts governor standing at the center of the ring stiff-arming his opponents while looking over their heads toward President Obama and the general election. He was rattled at times tonight, particularly in a extended exchange with moderator George Stephanopolous over contraception and the right to privacy, but for the most part neither moderators nor his opponents on stage were able to shake his he-could-be-president bearing.

JON HUNTSMAN: The former Utah governor won?t be getting anybody?s nomination this year; in fact, this weekend?s back-to-back debates may mean goodbye for the former Utah governor; he may not make it to South Carolina. Could it be that he?s running for the 2016 nomination of a more moderate Republican Party? Whatever happens this year, his sensible and balanced answers suggest that he won?t fade into political oblivion.

RON PAUL: The libertarian Texas congressman won?t be getting the nomination either ? the Republican nomination, at least ? but in his cranky old uncle?s voice, he was successful yet again at forcing his opponents on stage and his fellow Republicans in general to face unpleasant truths about the costs of war, problems of racism and other issues they might prefer to avoid. (And he didn?t rule out a third-party run.)

LOSERS

RICK SANTORUM: In order to establish himself as a legitimate front-runner, Santorum needed to knock Romney off his game. He didn?t. Although he came across, as usual, as knowledgeable and experienced, he also came across, as usual, as churlish and unpleasant ? in other words, un-presidential.

NEWT GINGRICH: The former House speaker and recent ?flavor of the month? did fine but did nothing to shake the impression that the nomination remains Romney?s to lose.

RICK PERRY: For long periods, it seemed that the Texas governor had decamped to the concession stand. On the few occasions that he did get in on the conversation, his remarks ? about Obama?s war on religion, about sending troops back into Iraq ? sounded not bold and memorable, as he surely intended, but merely intemperate.

LINES YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THE NEXT MORNING

?When I was drafted, I was married and had two kids, and I went.? (Paul in a contretemps with Gingrich over whether he dodged the draft during the Vietnam War)

?I would send troops back into Eye-Raq.? (Perry)

?Contraception? It?s working just fine.? (Romney)

?I?m glad we?re off the contraception discussion.? (Huntsman, noting that he?s the father of seven children)

?There are no classes in America.? (Santorum)

?He doesn?t understand the situation.? (Hunstman, delivered in Mandarin Chinese)

Source: http://feeds.sfgate.com/click.phdo?i=e50c69ce3408c6bf3b71bd829ab763bb

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