For the average elector, the substance of a politician's argument is secondary to that of his or her delivery or style. That might explain why Mitt Romney won the first of three presidential debates last night. He was able to simplify everything. Obama failed to answer these accusations and shrugged them head on. At best, he failed to use soundbites that are easy to take home or quote. For an average American elector who is more concerned about Jennifer Aniston and who is leading in American Idol, Obama failed to capture their imagination.

It's often difficult to figure out who wins a political debate. And so it is with the seemingly endless road-show debates by the four contenders to be the Republican choice for president next November. If Romney didn't gain lustre on Monday, Gingrich certainly lost some -- even though he now leads Romney in Florida polls by an average of seven per cent.