I’ve forced myself to watch the last three Republican debates. It’s one of those unfortunate sacrifices one must make to do this job. It’s getting harder each time to stomach the pandering, the self-aggrandizement, the bromides, banalities, platitudes and inanities, not to mention the mis-statements, half-truths  and outright lies this collection of know-nothings, wannabes, also-rans and nonentities spout. Mitt Romney alone seems to have something that passes for a brain, but the contortions into which he twists himself in order to appear as nuts as the rest of the field (evidently a requirement for the Republican nomination these days) make him even less appealing than the honest lunacy of the rest of this bunch. No wonder so many rank-and-file Republicans keep asking for another candidate to step forward.