John Heilemann watched it (full video of the exchange here):
If you happened to devote 90 minutes to the Lincoln-Douglas-style debate between Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman that took place yesterday at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire — and you are in tenuous possession of even modest mental faculties — you will almost certainly have had one or more of the following four reactions: (a) Hey, this isn't a debate, it's a two-man panel discussion; (b) Hey, this isn't a debate, it's a two-man circle jerk; (c) Hey, this isn't a debate, it's a two-man exercise in well-intentioned high-mindedness; or (d) Hey, this isn't a debate, it's a profoundly cynical two-man political maneuver masquerading as an exercise in well-intentioned high-mindedness.
Joe Klein also tuned in:
What we got was, with certain admirable exceptions, the appearance of substance. And, more often than not when Gingrich was speaking, what we got was dangerous nonsense passed off as considered thought. A waste of time? No. We learned a lot about Gingrich’s depth of knowledge on foreign policy. It is kiddie-pool deep.
Fallows is more positive:
This time there were two informed-sounding adults talking in complete thought-sequences — even to the point of dullness, which is not bad compared to the preceding craziness. And they offered thoughts that they simply could not have developed, or that would have been batted away with slogans, in the "normal" crowded-house debate with its 30- or 60-second segments. For instance, both of them explained why the defense budget really had to go down. Or the realities of what can be expected with Pakistan and Afghanistan. The ways in which China is both rival and partner, etc. Because they both knew they'd be able to make their points, there wasn't the desperation for air time that had made performers in all the other debates act as if they have to blurt out their attack-lines and applause-points whenever they have a chance.
Larison lambastes Huntsman for saying he'd consider Gingrich for veep:
I hope this extinguishes whatever enthusiasm realists and non-interventionists had for Huntsman’s candidacy. Can he be serious? Gingrich is at the top of his short list? No doubt Gingrich is relieved that Huntsman is willing to consider him for the No. 2 position. Huntsman will be lucky to be considered for the role of Ambassador to Vanuatu in a Gingrich administration.
(Photo: Republican Presidential Candidates Newt Gingrich (R) and Jon Huntsman share a laugh following a Lincoln-Douglas style debate at Saint Anselm College on December 12, 2011 in Manchester, New Hampshire. By Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
The Dish 
