John Avlon notes that for all the entertainment of the GOP presidential debates “there is a civic cost to the
radioactive rhetoric that gets thrown out to excite the conservative crowds.”

“It’s not just that the most irresponsible candidates can play to the base and get a boost in the polls, while more sober-minded candidates like Jon Huntsman fail to get attention. The real damage is to the process of running for president itself. Because when low blows get rewarded, the incentive to try to emulate Lincoln — holding yourself to a higher standard — is diminished. And one barometer of this atmospheric shift is in the increasingly overheated rhetoric by candidates attacking the current president. This serial disrespect ends up unintentionally diminishing the office of president itself.”

The New York Times notes that Newt Gingrich, “more than any other candidate, has seen his fortunes ebb and flow with debates, and there is a consensus in his team that his big loss in Florida’s Republican presidential primary last month was in no small part because of debates in which he strained to look above the fray. According to one top aide, Mr. Gingrich’s two daughters had advised him to strike a presidential pose, but that was not the Newt Gingrich voters craved.”

Mitt Romney enlisted Donald Trump for a robo-call in Michigan which is highly critical of Rick Santorum, ABC News reports.

Says Trump on the call: “This is Donald Trump and I have to tell you that I’m tired of Rick Santorum pretending that he’s some kind of DC outsider.”

He notes Santorum is a “career politician” who has “never had a job in the private sector” and also accuses Santorum of working as a lobbyist.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) told the Texas Tribune that he is leaning toward running for re-election in 2014 and possibly another stab at the White House two years after that.

“There are no term limits in Texas… If he does run, Perry could wind up serving a total of 18 years in
the governor’s office and he would complicate the plans of a host of
other statewide elected officials.”

At tonight’s GOP presidential debate, Howard Kurtz says Rick Santorum will be questioned about his recent statements reviving the culture wars.

“When Santorum takes the stage Wednesday night, the glare of the spotlight will be unusually harsh. Despite complaints from his campaign about distorted media coverage, he is the one who has raised every one of these issues, along with birth control, in recent days. Reporters weren’t peppering him with questions about home schooling or amniocentesis. He’s the guy who put these subjects in play.”

Bottom line: “He didn’t wade into these controversies by accident. His team must believe these hot-button positions will build support among very conservative and evangelical primary voters — and win their hearts in a way that Romney cannot. The trick is to avoid alienating more moderate voters in the process. Wednesday’s debate will provide a classic test.”

Buddy Roemer will end his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and announce he’ll seek to run as an independent candidate.

Said Roemer in a statement: “I have decided to take my campaign directly to the American people by declaring my candidacy for Americans Elect. Also, after many discussions with The Reform Party, I am excited to announce my intentions of seeking their nomination.”

“All along I have felt that Mitt Romney would probably be the strongest general election challenger to the president. I’m not sure that’s true any longer. I think Rick Santorum may emerge as the stronger general election candidate.”

— Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D), quoted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) “is backing off his unconditional support for a bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion,” the Washington Post reports.

Lawmakers and the governor’s staff were scheduled to meet in an effort to “strike a compromise after learning that some ultrasounds could be more invasive than first thought… Many of the bill’s supporters were apparently unaware of how invasive the procedure could be.”

McDonnell is often mentioned as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate.

A new Marquette Law School Poll in Wisconsin finds Rick Santorum leading the GOP presidential field with 34%, followed by Mitt Romney at 18%, Ron Paul at 17% and Newt Gingrich at 12%.

The Wisconsin GOP primary, which allows any registered voter to participate, is scheduled for April 3.

In general election match ups, President Obama leads each of his GOP rivals by double digits.

A new Associated Press-GfK poll finds nterest in the Republican presidential race is slipping: Just 40% of Republicans say they have a great deal of interest in following the contest, compared with 48% in December.

Key findings: Only 23% are strongly satisfied with the field and 40% said they are dissatisfied with the candidates running.

Former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour (R) tells National Review that a contested Republican convention is a possible, though “highly unlikely,” scenario.

Said Barbour: “There is an outside chance, unlikely though it is, that you could get to the convention and have three or four candidates still in the race, none of them close to having a majority of delegates. But the idea that there would be a contested convention, where you actually arrive in Tampa and nobody has the votes, would defy decades of history.”

He added: “The operative word is ‘could.’ Could? Yeah. Likely? No.”

Meanwhile, a new Quinnipiac poll finds that if none of the
candidates currently running wins enough delegates to earn the
nomination, Republicans prefer New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over Sarah
Palin, Jeb Bush and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times,
failed Florida gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink (D) floated the
possibility of a rematch against the man who defeated her, Florida Gov.
Rick Scott (R), who remains unpopular in the state.

Said
Sink: “Of course, I’ve thought about it. Many, many people are
encouraging me. Even strangers who I’ve never met before would like to
see me back.

A new NBC News-Marist poll finds Mitt Romney edging Rick Santorum in the GOP presidential race, 37% to 35%, followed by Ron Paul at 13% and Newt Gingrich 8%.