Twenty debates leave me with several impressions

After the last Republican debate
Twenty debates leave me with several impressions:
PERSONAE:
Ron Paul is the most likeable. He takes issues seriously, but not himself. Therefore, he almost never makes personal attacks on his competitors. . . . Rick Santorum is the least likeable. He's whiney and petty, and he converts almost every disagreement on issues into either a personal attack on others or a defense of himself. . . . Mitt Romney, by nature a non-demonstrative man, comes across as a bit forced and artificial when he uses oratorical vehemence to make his point. . . . Newt Gingrich, by nature very demonstrative, emerges as a  professor with the ability to provide informative academic context for his conclusions -- when he is not orating or hopping from topic to topic.

ON ISSUES:
Santorum seems to be bouncing all over the place, scattered, with his frequent and heavy emphasis on social issues. . . . So far, Romney comes across as a Johnny-one-note, with his repeated stress on his business skills. . . . Gingrich alternates between pragmatism and idealism. So his take on a specific issue or on a set of related issues, based on the context his idealism creates is unpredictable. . . . Paul evaluates ever issue depending where it fits within his constitutional/anti-war/anti foreign aid mindset.

Personal characteristics or single-issues aside, whoever of them becomes president will surround himself with official appointees and unofficial advisory circles who, in total, reflect the wishes of a wide range of constituents  Each of the people at this supposedly last Republican debate would fit somewhere in that mix, so their skills need not be lost.

Those of us whose vote will go ABO (Anyone But Obama) might as well send in our absentee ballot now!

Frank Versagi is the editor of Versagi Voice.