Andrew Sullivan had one of the best...

...reactions to last night's Republican debate (my emphasis):

A spontaneous round of applause for executing people! And Perry shows no remorse, not even a tiny smidgen of reflection, especially when we know for certain that he signed the death warrant for an innocent man. Here's why I find it impossible to be a Republican: any crowd that instantly cheers the execution of 234 individuals is a crowd I want to flee, not join. This is the crowd that believes in torture and executions. Can you imagine the torture that Perry would authorize? Thank God he's doing so poorly tonight.

From everything I've heard and read about last night's debate, the main takeaway remains the GOP's Catch-22: How does a candidate like Mitt Romney, who's moderate enough to win a general election, win the nomination? And how does Rick Perry, who's conservative enough to win the nomination, win the general election? 

I'd have to say at this point that it's still President Obama's election to lose.