Ames, Iowa — Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, told National Review Online last night that the Pawlenty–Bachmann spar at Thursday’s debate was about “passion,” defended Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status, and on the probable entry of Rick Perry into the race, said he is a “firm believer in big primaries . . . the more voices the better.” And what if Ron Paul wins the straw poll? “I think the party has room for Ron Paul, it has room for Herman Cain and Tim Pawlenty,” he said. “It has room for everybody.”