My favorite line of the night came from Megyn Kelly when among the many sins she accused Donald Trump of was “Rating women by her looks.” But isn’t that what she does every time she looks into her makeup mirror?

Runner-up was delivered by longtime Clinton operative Paul Begala, when he dutifully played up the Dems’ talking point in calling Trump’s boorish talk proof of his having committed “sexual assault.” Yet not a word from Begala about the presence of Juanita Broaddrick in the debate hall last night.

The real winner was Kellyanne Conway, who, in her own three on one situation, ever so graciously put her CNN inquisitors, namely the egregious Wolf Blitzer and the nervous Dana Bash (John King doesn’t count), in their miserable place.

Someone did get in the useful observation that among Democrats there was concern that Hillary had not finished Trump off for good. In other words, he’s still living and breathing and as everyone saw last night in top form. A performance like that in the face of what he’d experienced the last few days is one for the record books. And unlike his opponent he saved his best for last, when asked to say something nice about the rival candidate. It sounded totally honest when he said he can admire her doggedness and persistence. He’s capable of sounding and being human — the very point Conway drove home so well in her post-debate remarks.

Trump had nothing to lose last night. A lesser political animal would have spent the evening whining, sulking, and imploding. He did the opposite. For all we know, the mafia in Atlantic City provided tougher opposition than the three on one he faced last night. And the women he had on his side were real. If the Clinton forces want to spend the next month attacking them, that wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done that. Maybe the New York Times might even come about to report on their presence in St. Louis last night and why they were there.