A Few Quick Thoughts Before Tonight's Debate

--Mitt Romney was forced to concede today that he was lying in last night's debate when he claimed to have never suggested, in an advertisement, that John McCain supports amnesty for illegal immigrants. In fact, he has done it more than once. Romney initially said no I never did it, then when shown the evidence said that he had never seen his own TV ads -- the ones that have him saying "I approved this message.

The fallout of all that? The words "John McCain supports amnesty" have been repeated ad nauseum in the press all day. I'd call it a win for Mitt.

--Romney's writers have come up with the rejoinder they failed to prepare him with last night, when the other candidates made fun of his flip-flopping. He practiced it twice at a town-hall meeting today, I assume preparing it for use tonight: "It's just like Washington [DC] to be more interested in the insult than the issue."

--I expect Romney to be far more aggressive tonight than last night. I expect McCain to look very comfortable. My big question is whether Giuliani, who has slipped behind Huckabee to 4th in the latest NH tracking polls, will try to shake things up at all to save his campaign.

--You have no idea what it's been like for regular voters up in New Hampshire, especially registered Independents, who have ten major candidates screaming for their attention. Every phone call is a candidate survey, an "informational" call, a media poll, an endorsement robocall....