No Brawl for Republican Candidates — Yet

The opportunities were there.

The moderators of Monday night’s debate in New Hampshire provided plenty of openings for what could have been a series of sharp-edged clashes between the seven announced Republican hopefuls for the presidency.

Instead, the group collectively held hands, declared themselves a talented field of candidates and avoided the intraparty political rhetoric that often turns such high-stakes political gatherings into a brawl.