I thought it was an immensely entertaining debate. I thought all — yes, all — of the candidates did well on the merits, objectively speaking. Of course, objectivity is irrelevant. The post-debate coverage, which usually matters more than the debate itself, will focus disproportionately on Romney’s idiotic $10,000-bet line.

But as dumb as that was, it really shouldn’t matter than much. And my guess is it won’t after the Fox debate in a few days.

There’ll be time to score the individual bouts tomorrow. But here’s my 30,000 foot takeaway: This debate marks the beginning of an important shift. I think the GOP field is becoming more likable. The space between the top tier and the bottom shrunk. Perry, Bachmann, and Santorum all seemed more serious than they did