GOP's latest Debate- Huntsman & Gingrich stand out

Huntsman looked strong, and frankly angry at his fellow Mormon. Whether it will do anything for him in the polls is dubious, buut he was confident and sure footed throughout.

Ron Paul was predictably cranky for the full two hours (nobody was more animated when he wasn't speaking). As par for the course, he strongly defended U.S. isolationism and pooh-poohed the concerns of Romney that the defense department is really going to take that huge of a budget cut in the upcoming talks to reduce the deficit. Paul began the debate by disagreeing with his fellow candidates regarding the worthiness of the U.S. Patriot Act, saying that the law is "unpatriotic because it undermines our liberties."

Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachmann, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, looked properly prepped going into the debate and came out with her finest reviews since her coming out party earlier this spring. That was the debate that shot her up to the top of the polls momentarily and led to her biggest crowing achievement of the campaign season, the victory (barely over Paul) in the Iowa Straw Poll.

But of course, it was Newt Gingrich's humane, not hateful take on illegal immigration that was the story of the night. Gingrich tried to use family values against opponents like Bachmann by saying that the GOP could hardly claim to be pro-family if it was to “adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter-century.”

No dummy. Gingrich knew that he was treading on territory that has brought down lesser men this campaign season (Rick Perry anyone?). But he said, essentially, screw it:

“I’m prepared to take the heat. To say let’s be humane in enforcing the law without giving them citizenship, but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their families.”

Let's be clear here. The only thing that Gingrich said differently than the other candidates was that he thought those that had been living here for "25 years" and had were respected citizens in their community, shouldn't be separated from their children that have been born and raised here and are U.S. citizens.

But Immediately some political pundits said that the comment demonstrated that Gingrich still isn't serious about becoming President, because by going outside the traditional bromides all of the candidates are expected to trot out (essentially you must secure the border first), he has made himself vulnerable on a core issue for Republican primary voters.

And perhaps that's true.

Or maybe, just maybe, Gingrich realized that there was a gap with GOP primary voters that don't feel so hateful about Mexicans who cross the border and have lived here for decades. That they need to be immediately deported, and in fact that is a public that yearns to hear a discussion about what to do about the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country, and what we need to do it about now and going forward.

As John McCain said back during the 2008 presidential campaign, for all the talk about "amnesty," the fact of the matter is right now we have a defacto amnesty in place, since we're doing nothing about those undocumented immigrants in terms of registering them into government databases and knowing who they are.

The Obama administration has deported more illegal immigrants than George W. Bush ever did, yet all of the GOP candidates (save for Gingrich and previously Rick Perry) simply trot out the line about how you can't talk about what to do about those undocumented in this country now because we have to "secure the border" first and foremost. It's simply an inefficient answer.

Political analysts believe Gingrich, who is now leading in some polls nationally in the race for President, has doomed himself to some extent in Iowa and South Carolina. Guess we'll find out pretty soon if that plays out according to the script, or that those voters might appreciate the "straight talk," to quote McCain.