The Republican presidential candidates are on a run of being combative with each other, which always holds out the opportunity for throwing some issues into sharp relief, but hasn’t yet done so. Senator Thompson seemed to aim at Mayor Giuliani and Governor Romney by saying, “Some think the way to beat the Democrats in November is to be more like them. I could not disagree more. … I believe that conservatives beat liberals only when we challenge their outdated positions, not embrace them. This is not a time for philosophical flexibility, it is a time to stand up for what we believe in.”

Mr. Romney, in turn, was aiming at Mayor Giuliani and Senator McCain. The former Massachusetts Governor said, “Conservatives that have heard me time and again recognize that I do speak for the Republican wing of the Republican Party.” This was an act of political grave-robbing, given that the line was lifted from a former governor of Virginia, James Gilmore, who ended his campaign not too long ago and used to deploy the line regularly against the rest of the Republican field — including Mr. Romney.