It took 19 debates, but the GOP boldly went where no man has gone before. In one of the most entertaining events yet, Newt Gingrich promised the moon, and Ron Paul lined up politicians to send there. From beginning to end, it was an honest (and even humorous) look at the candidates as leaders and human beings. CNN covered everything from the galaxy to illegal aliens–with plenty of jabs sprinkled in. Whatever impressions were made will be lasting ones, since the GOP doesn’t get back into the ring until late February.

That’s just fine with Sen. Rick Santorum, who many credited with the victory in last night’s match. “[I]t’s safe to say that on overall points, Santorum won the debate,” Politico said. “[H]e has been presenting himself in this race as a more ‘consistent’ conservative alternative to Gingrich and someone who can match Romney on leadership.” The Washington Post went so far as to say that it may be moving to a two-person race. “There was some question as to whether Santorum would be able to build on his success in Iowa. He now has set himself to do that and to show the Right that conservatism is more than attitude. As a smart and articulate proponent of conservatism… he’ll be a welcomed alternative…”

One person who won’t benefit from the debate schedule lull is Speaker Gingrich, who, until last night, capitalized more than anyone from the forums. Last night’s showing was a rare misstep for the Georgia native. His grandiose idea to launch a lunar colony was a goldmine for late-night television. And while it may have gone over well in better economic times, even Floridians thought he was light years away from the priorities of most hurting families. Meanwhile, Santorum rocketed up the depth charts, showing some real savvy on ObamaCare, Latin America, and faith. He landed solid punches on Massachusetts’s top-down, government control of the health care system–from the insurance mandate to the expansion of Medicaid. And when Romney tried to wiggle away, defending the mandate with the same arguments as President Obama, Santorum pinned him down and explained the law’s problems. “[You would be] going up against Barack Obama, [and] you are going to claim, ‘Well, top-down government-run medicine on the federal level doesn’t work, and we should repeal it.’ And he’s going to say, ‘Wait a minute, Governor. You just said that top-down government-run medicine in Massachusetts works well.’ We can’t give this issue away in this election. It’s about fundamental freedom.” Romney’s response? “It’s not worth getting angry about,” which was a knife in the back of conservatives who have spent years fighting ObamaCare.

Later, the candidates were asked how their religious beliefs would impact their decision-making. Ron Paul responded that his faith wouldn’t be a factor publicly but personally. Romney, in contrast, explained that he would pray for guidance and fight to preserve our Judeo-Christian ethic. “[When the Founders wrote the Declaration of Independence], they said, for instance, that the creator had ‘endowed us with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’ I would seek to assure that those principles and values remain in America and that we help share them with other people in the world…” Gingrich agreed, saying he would seek God and let faith “suffuse” his life. But he also made an important point about religious liberty. “…[O]ne of the reasons I am running is there has been an increasingly aggressive war against religion and in particular against Christianity in this country, largely by a secular elite and the academic news media and judicial areas. And I frankly believe it’s important to have some leadership that stands up and says, enough; we are truly guaranteed the right of religious freedom, not religious suppression by the state.”

Not surprisingly, Santorum, the most outspoken candidate on faith, had the best response. “The Constitution is there to do one thing: protect God-given rights. That’s what makes America different than every other country in the world. No other country in the world has its rights–right based in God-given rights, not government-given rights. And so when you say, well, faith has nothing to do with it, faith has everything to do with it. If our president believes that rights come to us from the state, everything government gives you, it can take away. The role of the government is to protect rights that cannot be taken away. And so the answer to that question is, I believe in faith and reason and approaching the problems of this country but understand where those rights come from, who we are as Americans and the foundational principles by which we have changed the world.”