Leave it to Chris Christie, of all people, to put last night's Republican presidential debate in perspective by pointing out the absurdity of regulating fantasy football.

By acclamation, the biggest loser in the CNBC-hosted shouting match was CNBC itself, whether it was the amateur-hour pre-game show, or moderators making unsolicited confessions about their own student loan debt, or pointed questions to Carly Fiorina about the odd political views of irrelevant former Hewlett-Packard executives.

But just when you thought the latest gotcha was a bridge too far, there came blundering Republicans like Jeb Bush, showing just why the GOP is an unreliable advocate for limited government. Even about fantasy football.

Despite all their talk about freedom, Republicans are still deeply conflicted when it comes to what people do in the privacy of their own homes. For instance Ohio Governor John Kasich has some bizarre ideas about legalizing marijuana.

And yet, somehow, there still managed to be a substantial discussion about fiscal and regulatory issues that actually matter. Carly Fiorina made some important points about the corrupting nexus between business and government.

Rand Paul brought some adult math to the table, on the debt ceiling, the sequester, and especially the long-term un-sustainability of entitlements.

And even Chris Christie was effective in one of his otherwise painful look-right-in-the-camera moments.

But as long as we're still in the long Donald Trump and Ben Carson phase of Republican primary season, you can bet that all candidates will continue focusing on the REAL enemy. No, not the debt, or entitlements, or even Hillary Clinton, but the damn liberal media.