1. I thought Newt Gingrich did not do well. Not just when he defended his (essentially indefensible) work at Freddie Mac, but also when he cited FDR as a model for how he would handle the court. Terrible argument, one that any self-proclaimed constitutional conservative should be concerned about.

 Gingrich cited favorably the Federalist Papers about a Supreme Court that doesn’t impose its will on a democratic society. Fair enough. But those documents also cite the need for an independent judiciary, which is exactly what FDR tried to destroy with his court-packing plan. As somebody who claims to be a policy wonk and a historian, Gingrich really should know better.