That other debate Tuesday night

I watched most of the understudy Republican debate last night and was so tired of politics by the end that I skipped the main debate.

A four-person debate is in many ways much better than a 10-person debate. I had no favorite in this pre-debate debate, but I was surprised to see Chris Christie do so well. He was less combative and less annoying than in other debates, and he wisely focused on the likely Democratic nominee, repeatedly reminding the audience that Hillary Clinton is a lot less conservative than any GOP candidate.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was assertive to the point of being repulsive, repeatedly claiming that he alone had cut the size of government in the states. Gov. Christie and former Gov. Mike Huckabee disputed Jindal, claiming they had, too, cut the size of government in their states, but Jindal kept hammering away. Is cutting government the only measure of statesmanship?

Huckabee, who has a very smooth delivery, which you would expect from a former preacher and Fox News commentator, had his moments and won some points.

Rick Santorum, who has had lots of practice in being a presidential candidate, also made sense at times, but he still looked like a dark horse — a very dark one.

My guess that none of these "undercard" participants will break through to be a leading contender for the Republican nomination. That role belongs to Donald Trump or Ben Carson, or perhaps a mid-level candidate should the front-runners stumble.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton looks more inevitable than ever. Her name and her face fire up GOP voters, who will likely turn out if they can settle on a candidate that has some cross-party appeal. But the election is still a year away.

The big surprise: Santorum is still in it

I never would have thought, watching the first GOP presidential debates last year, that Rick Santorum would still be around and now firmly positioned to take the party's nomination if front-runner Mitt Romney should falter. Had I been picking the early dropouts and the long-term survivors after that first debate, I would have placed Santorum in the former category, not the latter.

I would not have expected Santorum to still be around after Michelle Bachman, Tim Pawlenty and Herman Cain had all thrown in the towel. And I would not have guessed Newt Gingrich's staying power. Although Gingrich fancies himself a great debater whose supporters salivate at the prospect of putting their guy up against Barack Obama, I still see Gingrich differently. A smart guy, yes, but also a lecturing, condescending and sanctimonious guy. Those are not traits that endear candidates to voters. Just ask Al Gore.

Santorum's appeal and staying power surprises me. He has said impolitic, even outrageous things so many times that he should be long gone from the presidential field. His views on birth control, the role of women and defense policy are well outside the mainstream of American voters, but the GOP primary electorate keeps his hopes alive. Democratic strategists are probably hoping Santorum will surge past Romney and get the GOP nomination, thereby handing most women voters over to the Democrats.

I never would have thought that a man who lost his last re-election bid by 18 percentage points could possibly be a serious contender for his party's presidential nomination. Shows what I know.