This week's GOP presidential debate was less of an opening skirmish and more of a big group hug – an odd launch of the Republican side of the race considering how uncivil our national discourse has become.

But I guess I forgot the rule of the primaries, where you move toward the right (or the left) before shifting back to the center for the general election. So the (debatable) debate this week evolved into more of a Reagan-esque exercise in playing nice with each other while spending the bulk of the two hours bashing the sitting president.

And while there's nothing necessarily wrong with preaching to the choir, that's what Sundays are for. I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure the people most interested in the debate don't need convincing that President Obama's not the best man for the job.