Since when are Republican presidential candidates so thin-skinned? As I reviewed last night’s Republican debate in Iowa, I was struck by Newt Gingrich’s umbrage to a perfectly reasonable question from Chris Wallace (see video below). Wallace drew his question from a widely reported news story (Gingrich’s campaign problems) and gave the former House speaker a chance to respond.

Gingrich’s response, though, would lead one to think that Wallace had asked him the age-old no-win question, “When did you stop beating your wife?” I understand that Newt was looking for an opportunity to differentiate himself from the rest of the pack, but objecting to Wallace’s line of questioning wasn’t the best avenue for doing it.

On that same note, Wallace’s query of Michele Bachmann on Fox News Sunday in June was in line, too. His “flake” question was widely derided, but it was legitimate. Even more, just as with Newt, it gave Bachmann a chance to respond to the criticism.

Candidates vying for the most powerful office in the world shouldn’t expect softball soup.