John McCain

Grade: B+

His classic routine: appealing and tough when given the floor, but rarely at the center of the action. Made strong appeals on behalf of the troops and the war in Iraq, and continued his unwavering condemnation of torture. Talked emotionally about immigration, and seemed comfortable with his freshly conceived control-the-border-first message. Didn't nail his anti-spending lines as well as he should have, but performed well overall during a rather off-kilter, rickety debate.

— by Mark Halperin