As we wrote yesterday, there's an easy way to assess who benefited from last night's debate: Who did better in the eyes of Iowa voters -- Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee? The consensus, including the analysis of David Yepsen, is that it was Huckabee by an Arkansas country mile. That means he obviously benefited but so, by implication, did John McCain who needs Romney defeated in Iowa to give himself a fighting chance to win New Hampshire five days later. The loser last night, besides Romney, was Fred Thompson who needs to be the sole southern conservative standing by the time we get to South Carolina mid-month.

And Rudy Giuliani? From his behavior last night, he'd rather take his chances against Huckabee than Romney. So, if he's right in his political analysis, he had a good night too.

To read Steven Stark's complete "Presidential Tote Board" blog, go to www.thephoenix.com/toteboard/