Update @ 1:59 Eastern 5/4 Poll closed. Stay tuned for results …

Tonight at 8pm eastern on MSNBC. If you’re unable to watch it on television, MSNBC will simulcast the debate online and C-SPAN will broadcast the audio.

Chris Matthews will moderate. He was a speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, an aide to Tip O’Neill and worked for Democratic Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie. Matthews and “moderator” shouldn’t even be in the same sentence. But, alas, that’s a subject for a different thread.

Debating tonight: Fmr. Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, former Govs. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin, Jim Gilmore of Virginia, and Reps. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, Duncan Hunter of California and Ron Paul of Texas.

The Politico and N.Z. Bear will be live-blogging from the Reagan Library.

As always, let us know if you see something clipworthy.

Update: I’m not a Romney guy, but I think it’s great his staff is pumping out debate video.

Update: Tony Snow was asked what the President thought about Keith Olbermann, a known Republican-hater hosting debate coverage (via Olbermann Watch):

At tonight’s Republican candidates debate, the pre-debate and post-debate coverage I read will be Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman of MSNBC, of whom there is a report that last October 23rd, Mr. Olberman said, “The leading terrorist group in this country is the Republican Party.”And my question: Does the President know why this Republican debate is tolerating such a reported maligner, and does he believe they should?

Update: Heading Right is doing some great live-blogging. Michelle also liveblogged.

Update: Rudy’s stance on abortion is already on YouTube:

Update: According to our poll, Drudge’s poll, and many bloggers, Romney won the debate. I’ve got to say, I’m not a Romney guy, but he came off as the winner to me. However, he also won the “invoke Reagan as much as you can” award. It would be interesting to see Fred Thompson debate this “incomplete crowd.”