Republican Presidential Debate in Jacksonville, Florida was Rick Santorum's Night

While most of the pundits were expecting either Romney or Gingrich to win this important debate; clearly, this was Rick Santorum's night.

His explanation of the Declaration of Independence as the "Why" of America and the Constitution the "how" was brilliant. His ringing defense of the Creator as the source of our unalienable rights - and the role of the Government to recognize and protect those rights - downright inspiring. This was Santorum's night.

P>JACKSONVILLE, FL (Catholic Online) - The last Republican Presidential Candidate debate was held on Thursday evening, January 26, 2012. It was moderated by Wolf Blitzer and co-hosted CNN, the Republican Party of Florida, and the Hispanic Leadership Network.

In the beginning, I was concerned the event would degenerate into a petulant verbal battle between Gingrich and Romney. However, Rick Santorum drew applause - both from the live audience and probably from viewers around the country - when he called on both of the candidates to stop their petty personal politics.

"The bigger issue here is, these two gentlemen, who are out distracting from the most important issues -- we have been playing petty personal politics, can we set aside that Newt was a member of Congress and used the skills that he developed as a member of Congress to go out and advise companies -- and that's not the worst thing in the world.

"And that Mitt Romney is a wealthy guy because worked hard and he's going out and working hard? And you guys should leave that alone and focus on the issues"

Santorum then invited the moderator, Wolf Blitzer, to focus on the real issues. Unfortunately, that took awhile. Blitzer just kept it up until it was clear, the candidates and the audience wanted it to stop.

However, the way Santorum handled that entire matter changed the progress of the debate and established him for the rest of the evening as the man with the most substance.

The Pennsylvania Senator's answers on nearly every question posed to him throughout the debate were solid and substantive. He was conversant on economic issues as well as national security issues.

His performance throughout the entire evening reflected his growing confidence as the Presidential primary campaign has unfolded. The breadth of his positions on the issues and the seriousness of his candidacy came through.

His personal warmth also came through. In the very beginning of the debate, during introductions, he acknowledged his 93 year old mother who was in the audience. Her smile revealed an obviously proud mother and moved every heart watching. 

When Wolf Blitzer asked each of the candidates to explain why their wives would be the best first ladies, Santorum's love and respect for his wife, Karen shone through. So too did the quality of their family life together. They have raised seven children and lost one son. He began his time of honoring his wife Karen by saying, "She is my hero".

Santorum's strong stands on foreign policy issues resulted in consistent answers concerning how he would approach Cuba, Puerto Rico and a host of other issues involving Central and Latin American concerns raised by audience members.

His clear explanations of his positions on taxes and economic matters revealed a breadth of policy understanding and experience. His plans to restore manufacturing and blue collar jobs was refreshing. In short, Rick Santorum was impressive this evening.

Perhaps what was most surprising was when Santorum confronted both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich on the issues related to the "Affordable Care Act" or "Obamacare".  Clearly, Santorum had both Romney and Gingrich on the defensive.

He raised concerns about their capacity to stand up to the President on this vital issue given their past positions and neither Romney nor Gingrich seemed to be able to respond.Their inability to respond to him seemed to prove his important point.

His explanation of the Declaration of Independence as the "Why" of America and the Constitution the "how" was brilliant. His ringing defense of the Creator as the source of our unalienable rights - and the role of the Government to recognize and protect those rights - downright inspiring.

Finally, his explanation on the ways in which his religious beliefs would affect the way he would execute the office of the Presidency was outstanding.

While most of the pundits were expecting either Romney or Gingrich to win this important debate; clearly, this was Rick Santorum's night.

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