No-rules debate thrills Gingrich

Associated Press

MANCHESTER, N.H.

There were no time limits, formal rules or reporters asking questions.

And if you ask Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman, they would say there were no clear winners or losers Monday night in what was billed as a “Lincoln-Douglas” presidential debate modeled after the 1858 meetings of Illinois Senate candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

In fact, after a 90-minute free-flowing discussion about foreign policy and national security, it was difficult to discern a single area where the Republican presidential contenders disagreed. There were no rhetorical bombs thrown. And what criticism surfaced was aimed at President Barack Obama and America’s threats abroad.

Yet Gingrich was absolutely thrilled.

“This is what we should have a lot more of, because this is substantive,” said Gingrich, the former House speaker. “This is not a Hollywood game. This is not a reality show. This is reality.”

In some ways, the format was a dream come true for Gingrich, a self-proclaimed historian and former college professor, whose intellect and willingness to challenge his rivals has aided a sudden rise in the polls. Having lost most of his campaign cash and staffers over the summer, he bet his presidential ambitions almost exclusively on national media interviews and debates.

But Monday’s forum, in which the candidates discussed broad topics such as Israel and China with only suggested time limits, gave the former speaker further freedom to showcase his knowledge of domestic and foreign affairs, without facing difficult questions about his personal life and controversial policies. It was his second such free-style discussion with a Republican rival — he met with former candidate Herman Cain last month — and may serve as a preview of things to come should Gingrich ultimately win the right to face President Barack Obama next fall.

Even before his rise in the polls, Gingrich had challenged Obama to a series of seven three-hour “Lincoln-Douglas” debates. He reminds voters every chance he gets that he’s willing and able to take on the president.