AP Photo

The general view about last night's debate is that Rick Santorum didn't do well. Rich Lowry put it best: Santorum spent too much time "explaining why he voted for things he opposed (NCLB, Title X)," got "tangled up in his Senate record," and was in general "too defensive, too insider, too complicated."

That view could well be right. One could say on Santorum's behalf that he did voters the courtesy of assuming they might want to hear a substantive explanation of his votes when criticized and a defense of his record when under attack.