Summit – preliminary roundup…

Several folks at American Spectator  watched bits and  pieces of the time-waster,  but Philip Klein courageously watched all of it and thought  Republicans did rather well.   I agree that some of the tactics employed by His Oneness  ranged from the unimpressive to the downright arrogant.

I thought  Paul Ryan was especially effective,  and I admit to being surprised at Lamar  Alexander’s strength on  premiums and reconciliation.

If Jonathan Chait thinks  Obama was doing only “OK”,  it means that His Oneness is being even more the lecturer than I thought he was.  Yuval Levin thinks the event was  a mistake for the Dems,  and Jay Nordlinger  thinks it put paid to the endlessly repeated mantra that Republicans know nothing about health care and are cruelly indifferent to people.

While I thought the GOP was a bit too respectful,  and didn’t defend themselves adequately on all points,  they certainly appeared  well-informed,  quite prepared with data,  and passionate about their positions.

Overall,  I can’t disagree with Philip Klein’s view that His Oneness got a draw in circumstances which required much more of him,  considering that the public has already turned its thumbs down on the bills.

Oh drat!   I totally forgot to give the link to Commentary’s live-blogging.    Still,  go back and  read the comments for a good flavor of what the 7 hour marathon was like.