Scores of young volunteers are lined up outside the Whittemore Center here in Durham, NH, possibly the ugliest building this side of the FBI headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C. Chants of “We Like Mike!”, “Let’s Go Mitt!”, and the simple, “Ron Paul!” ring out near the entranceway.

Brownback staffers even chalked the rails of a nearby overpass with a play on the UPS motto: “What can Brownback do for you?”

And of course, there was the obligatory girl in the duck costume: “Fred, why are you ducking the debate?”

The fifth GOP presidential debate of the year begins in a few minutes. Reporters have been relegated to an adjacent room, but that just makes it easier to duck out and talk to some debate-goers without going through a metal detector. Former Gov. Bob Ehrlich of Maryland is making his way around the room, chatting with bloggers and journalists, telling people that movement conservatives are increasingly warming to his candidate, Rudy Giuliani.

Reporters are waiting around, making blog posts and writing the preliminary copy for stories to be filed after the debate is over. And at the moment, we’re being subjected to the sight of Dick Morris on the big flatscreens, commenting on Larry Craig. (Thanks, Bill O’Reilly.)

More as we continue…