From NBC's Mark Murray   
Finally... a candidate has a little fun with his YouTube video. It featured King Kong, snow, and Hillary Clinton.

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
Thompson firmed up his stance on abortion, saying our "number one" concern in judicial appointments should be overturning Roe v. Wade. He has said that he believes in states' rights when it comes to abortion in the past, but this makes it sound like he is in favor of a litmus test on judicial appointments. Would he really only appoint a judge that would overturn Roe?

From NBC's Mark Murray
On what Jesus would do about the death penalty: "Jesus was too smart to ever run for office."

And when Rudy initially paused when he was asked if he believes every word in the Bible is true, Huck butted in: "Do I need to help you out on that?"

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
Romney's campaign is squarely focused on Giuliani. Thompson is evenly divided between Romney and Giuliani.

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
Romney has a tendency to pivot to his belief that "all kids need a mom
and a dad" whenever he's faced with questions about issues affecting
the African-American community, be it welfare or crime. He did it again
tonight. That line actually serves his appeal to social conservatives,
because its basis is that he disavows gay marriage and supports a
federal marriage amendment. But he doesn't often address some of these
issues head-on, just as he didn't in his answer tonight. It was his
first non-direct answer of the night, which has been off to a very good
start for him.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
Not surprising that an NRA question goes to Giuliani.

His
thoughts on "reasonable regulations" for gun owners may have gotten
boos in the audience, but probably will make sense to people watching
on television.

After being attacked by Thompson, he
explains the difference between the D.C. and NYC gun control laws. But
people will likely walk away from that exchange believing 1. Giuliani
supports the second amendment and 2. Giuliani wants more restrictions
than other Republicans. And that he doesn't own a gun.

From NBC's Mark Murray
So if you're an African-American kid, standing besides his father. And you ask a question on black-on-black crime... Would you be offended when the candidate -- Romney -- responds first how happy the kid is that his father is around?

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
After lots of clapping in the beginning of the debate, the crowd
here in Arlington was relatively quiet until the airing of his YouTube
style campaign video. Thompson's video showed clips of both Huckabee
and Romney talking about the income tax and abortion respectively.
Fred's line that he "thought he would give his buddy's a little extra
airtime," got a big laugh and the crowd here was like Cooper's
decision to let Thompson respond first. Was Romney's line that he
didn't recognize that young guy in the video a joke that hits too close
to home?

Huckabee's line that when they're kicking you in the
rear it just means you are still out front also got a good laugh.
Supporters here are not listening to former Senator and presidential
hopeful George Allen give some talking points against Rudy and Romney
on immigration.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
Anderson Cooper steps out of the format and asks Giuliani about the
Politico story. What could have been bad for Rudy actually helps him
out because it gets him out front of the story.

"They
took care of me and they put in their records and they handled them the
way they handled them," he said. "I  had nothing to do with the
handling of their records, and they were handled, as far as I know,
perfectly appropriately."

Probably better for the
campaign to have that out there than to wait for Giuliani's next public
appearance, on Friday, and the image of reporters chasing him down to
get a comment.

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
Romney has said time and again that he changed his mind on abortion, but this was the most impassioned he's been.

But
he started with his pointed, "I was wrong," before explaining what he
did as governor, having "come down on the side of life" when a bill
came across his desk. He made it less about the administrative aspect
and more about his being wrong. Even though he said he doesn't know how
many more times he can say it, that was one of the most forceful
answers he's given on the issue recently.

Also of note, Romney was the only candidate who clapped during Tancredo's Hillary-bashing video.

From NBC's Mark Murray
McCain's video was pretty similar to Tancredo's -- on Hillary. I guess we're going to keep our expecations low, because the videos haven't been put together as well as the Dem ones were back in July.

From NBC's Andy Merten
Thompson's YouTube video was the first to go negative so far. It hit Romney on abortion and Huckabee on taxes.

None of the Democrats' videos did in their debate back in July, but that was early in the campaign and before candidates started taking swipes at each other. In fact, it was the last debate of this format that promted the first real spat on the Democratic side -- that between Obama and Clinton on meeting with foreign leaders. It'd be interesting to see if the Democratic version of this debate were held today, what kind of negative videos those candidates might submit.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Tancredo's YouTube video was brutal... Did his 16-year-old nephew make it? If anything, he did get the first shot at Hillary Clinton in the debate. "Now he's ready to take on Hillary," the video began.

On the biggest political news of the day, CNN slipped in a question on that Giuliani expenses story.

Giuliani said it was "not true. I had 24-hour security in my eight years as mayor. They followed me everywhere I went" because of "threats," Giuliani said. "They were handled perfectly appropriately."

From NBC's Mark Murray      
First question from a Washington establishment type that has aired at these YouTube debates...

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
Thompson got a good chance to tee off on one of his favorite
subjects: government waste and entitlement spending. He said that he
would like to take on all 100 programs listed as wasteful by the Office
of Management and Budget, but was referencing the OMB over the heads of
some non-politicos. And did Ron Paul take a subtle shot at Thompson by
saying he would cut the Department of Homeland Security, a department
that Thompson was integral in creating by acting as the Republican
floor manager for the Homeland Security bill?

From NBC's Mark Murray
McCain goes after Paul ... similar to when Rudy went after him at the FOX debate last spring.

Paul: "I am not an isolationist," he responds to McCain's jab for supporting isolationism -- which McCain argued got the US into World War II..

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
Although Thompson hasn't had the chance to take a shot at his closest
competitor in many recent polls, Mike Huckabee, but his campaign did
send out an email after the last question "setting the record straight
on Huckabee's immigration claims."

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
Thompson found a way to hit both Rudy and Romney on the issue of
immigration by saying that everyone has probably hired some people that
"in retrospect were a bad decision," hinting at Rudy's decision to hire
Bernie Kerik. He also hit Romney by saying that he used to support the
Bush immigration proposal, but "surprisingly" he has now taken a
different position. The people here in VA loved it.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Question on the national debt... "We've got to stop it and stop it now," he said regarding the increased federal spending.

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
Thompson's comment that Romney supported Bush's immigration policy
hasn't gotten as much traction as a flip-flop as maybe they would have
liked. Romney at one point called the policy proposals "reasonable."

And Romney's got to love the question to Huckabee: It was the basis of his first attack on the former Arkansas governor.

From NBC's Mark Murray
He counters Romney on immigration by playing the class card. It's the first jab he's taken in a debate with his new standing in the polls. And he jabbed back.

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
Thompson found a way to hit both Rudy and Romney on the issue of immigration by saying that everyone has probably hired some people that "in retrospect were a bad decision" -- hinting at Rudy's decision to hire Bernie Kerik. He also hit Romney by saying that he used to support the Bush immigration proposal, but "surprisingly" he has now taken a different position. The people here in VA loved it.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Huckabee gets a negative question on his record on illegal immigration. But it's 25 minutes in and he is speaking now (and the topic is still illegal immigration).

Romney went back at Huckabee, equating him to Massachusetts liberals. He then turned to him and said, "Mike, that's not your money, that's the tax payers' money."

Huckabee wrote in response, "We're a better country than to punish children for what their parents did." That was an effective line. But Romney hit back and he has shown some backbone in this debate so far.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
The Giuliani campaign just quickly came out with the Boston Globe story on the "sanctuary mansion." But the damage is done. And
Thompson just made an implicit reference to Kerik, saying that we all
have people we have hired that "in retrospect is a bad decision."