Newt Gingrich was full of praise for the man besting him in the polls for the Republican presidential nomination, calling MItt Romney "an enormous improvement" over President Obama.
Given an opportunity to take a free swing at Romney during Saturday's CBS/National Journal debate, Gingrich demurred.
"We're were here tonight talking to the American people about why every single one of us is better than President Obama," he said.
Gingrich has mounted an unexpected and rapid climb to second place in the polls at the same time that Herman Cain has dropped to third place, according to a McClatchy-Marist poll released Friday.
If Mitt Romney maintains his grip on his front-runner status, Gingrich, because of his strong showing, could be in a good position to argue he would strengthen a Romney ticket as a vice-presidential pick.
