Expectations are very low for Republican presidential candidates. That’s the only way to explain the compliments about the debate Tuesday. In truth, it was notable for its lack of intelligent comment. Not that you’d know that from the media.

It seems that Carly Fiorina was the victor among the pundits. This was true even though she said she would not talk to Putin under any circumstances. Or maybe because she did say so in no uncertain terms. The two great Republican foreign policy achievements were exactly the opposite. Ronald Reagan opened up negotiations with Russia. Nixon went to China a decade earlier. The level of understanding on Carly’s part was childish.

As for Marco Rubio, the other alleged winner according to the media, he also beat the dead horse that America is spending too little on defense. Over and over again. He sounded like a high school debater.

Needless to say, the moderators did not challenge these bloviations. Nor was there discussion about the Fed and interest rates, inequality, America’s employment situation, how strong the Chinese economy is, Greece’s financial risks, migrants in Europe, and on.

Let’s hope the Democratic debate rises to a higher level.