Simi Valley Showdown

THERE WAS GOOD news and bad news for Mitt Romney from the debate last night in California: He probably won, but it’s not likely to matter.

Presidential debates happen in moments and Romney had several good ones. At the very beginning of the debate, Romney defended his record as Massachusetts governor from criticism leveled by John McCain. He gently corrected McCain when McCain mistakenly claimed that Romney’s lieutenant governor had been campaigning with him. (It was Romney’s predecessor.) The rest of his answer was equally authoritative and he certainly sounds commanding when he talks about the economy.