"He was the best he's ever been and he's getting better all the time"

He may simply be too reasonable to be nominated — or even to get much traction.

“He was the best he’s ever been and he’s getting better all the time,” his top aide, Jon Weaver, told HuffPost minutes after the debate ended.

In the first debate that included Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Huntsman unveiled a clever appeal: that he has both the private-sector knowledge of Mitt Romney and the tax-cutting and job-creation track record of Perry…

With Perry going for the Tea Party (and Bachmann looking confused and fading fast), and with the others essentially non-factors — Huntsman has reason to stick around.

Moreso after tonight.