Douthat counters Fred Barnes:
For all the limits of the "8 candidates on a stage" debate format, there is something to be said for having a forum in which the "also-rans" and "peripheral candidates" get a chance to confront the frontrunners without having to raise a fortune to buy TV time.
In the 2008 Republican primaries, the debates served a valuable purpose in this regard: They helped both Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul break through, and in doing so helped make the primary debate more serious — mostly because Huckabee and Paul were willing to actually critique the record of the Bush administration (on the economy for Huckabee, on foreign policy for Paul), rather than dance around it as the leading candidates all tried to do. The fact that the the 2012 debates elevated Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain, both of whom brought rather less to the table, suggests that the fault this time around lies as much in the candidates (and what G.O.P. voters seem to be looking for them) as it does in the debates and their moderators.
He follows up here.
The Dish 