Maybe Fred Thompson should have stayed in after all. His droll one-liners might have enlivened what was one of the flattest performances yet from a group of GOP candidates who have done battle on the debate stage 18 times before. Familiarity is breeding contempt-not among the combatants, but perhaps among members of the viewing audience.

As the Democratic field has narrowed to a two-candidate contest, the back-and-forth has grown more intense, as evidenced by the sharp sticks Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama poked in each others' eyes last Monday, during a Martin Luther King Day smackdown in South Carolina. But the GOP field has remained a bit more fluid. Florida's crucial Republican primary looms on Jan. 29-a vote which may well determine whether Rudy Giuliani can stay in the race, whether John McCain builds on his past victories to establish a serious head of steam heading into Super Tuesday, whether Mitt Romney can muster Southern appeal, and whether Mike Huckabee has a prayer. But instead of taking sharp aim at one another, the leading Republican candidates seemed more interested in getting their licks in against Clinton, too.

If you somehow missed the first 75 minutes of the debate, broadcast on MSNBC from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla., thank your lucky stars. Did anyone try to stand out? Not really. In spite of an attempt at serious questions about what to do about the struggling economy, the candidates stuck to their usual talking points, extolling the virtues of tax cuts, endorsing stimulus plans and cutting spending. Giuliani talked up his time as mayor of New York City, again; in a guaranteed applause line, McCain trashed the Bridge to Nowhere-four times to be exact. It felt like the film Groundhog Day-except for the few mentions of Florida-centric issues like the National Catastrophic Fund, which Giuliani supports and the other candidates are slightly iffy on. (Guess what's going to be the top story in Friday's Florida papers?)

The most exciting moment in the first half hour? A shot of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist sitting in the audience. On TV, he was so tan he looked like an Oompa Loompa.

Moderators Brian Williams and Tim Russert tried their best to shake things up, but the candidates stubbornly stayed on point. Russert tried to nail McCain on his admission to reporters on his bus last week that he was more skilled in military and foreign affairs than economic issues. But the Arizona senator steered clear, touting his experience at cutting spending. Romney dodged a question about President Bush's economic record, preferring instead to plump his record in the Massachusetts Statehouse, and his efforts to turn the 2002 Olympics around.

Hopes rose in the second segment, as the format shifted to a round of candidates grilling each other. Yet the segment fizzled. Romney asked Giuliani a rambling question about policy toward China. McCain lobbed something of a softball question to Mike Huckabee, allowing him to explain his support for a flat tax. Ron Paul asked McCain if he'd support some obscure financial policy group that advises the White House. Giuliani, meanwhile, used the opportunity to remind Floridians of his support for the catastrophic fund by asking Romney if he supported it. He dinged McCain in the process-one of the few times he spoke negatively of the Arizona senator-by mentioning that the Straight Talker does not support the plan as is. "Who's answering this question?" McCain interrupted.

Thankfully, things improved in the closing quarter. With 15 minutes to go, Russert asked Romney how much of his own money he had invested in his campaign. The Massachusetts governor, looking a little testy, declined to answer, citing competitive reasons, and said it would all be on file on Jan. 31-the day his campaign is scheduled to reveal its latest financial report to the Federal Election Commission. But, Romney added, he hadn't contributed more of his own money than New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine or New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who each spent more than $100 million on their campaigns. (Er, good defense?)

Romney then bragged that he'd raised more money than any other Republican in the race-even if you factored out his own contributions to the cause. We'll have to wait until Romney files his reports next week to see the latest numbers, but the Massachusetts governor raised $62 million during the first nine months of 2007, including $17.3 million of his own money. Giuliani, by comparison, raised about $45 million for the primary-putting him neck and neck with Romney. Perhaps Romney really stuffed his coffers during the final three months of the year.

Romney's cash afforded Huckabee an opening for the best jab of the night. Reminding Romney that he'd said he wanted his kids to inherit a great country, Huckabee said, "If the country will elect me president, they'll inherit a good president and your boys will still get your money, too." Romney was smiling, but still looked like he wanted to strangle the former Arkansas governor. But credit Romney with keeping his cool when asked later about reports that the other GOP candidates just didn't like him very much. "I'm not going to Washington to make friends with politicians," he said. "I'm going to Washington to change things."

Change is a popular mantra in the 2008 campaign. But if the next debate is anything like the 19^th meeting, the thing many viewers may decide to change is the channel.