During the October 9 edition of Fox News' Special Report, discussing that day's Republican presidential debate on CNBC, host Brit Hume asked: “What is it about Romney, though? I mean, you watched him. He was a polished performance, he didn't lose his cool, he didn't stumble, he had ready answers for everything, his positions were by and large appealing to a conservative electorate. Why doesn't he seem to penetrate more?” Fox News contributor and National Public Radio national political correspondent Mara Liasson responded: “I think this is a mystery. Maybe because he seems too polished, or somehow light.” Liasson added, "[O]ne thing about Giuliani, if this is the year for authenticity, I would say that so far, Giuliani has been the authentic candidate in the race. He's very much himself, he's in your face, he seems to be comfortable in his own skin."

Hume responded, “Well, certainly Fred Thompson seemed authentic today,” to which Liasson replied: “Yeah, that's right, that's right. But Romney's also strong and tough, and he has this incredible experience behind him. ... I mean Giuliani.”

Liasson did not indicate what she thinks makes Giuliani more “authentic” and “comfortable in his own skin” than other political figures. She made similarly positive comments about Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on the July 15 broadcast of Fox News Sunday, saying that during a July 14 New Hampshire town hall meeting, he “took questions for an hour and a half and answered them all, you know, with the same kind of candor and honesty that people come to expect from John McCain.”

From the October 9 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:

HUME: What is it about Romney, though? I mean, you watched him. He was a polished performance, he didn't lose his cool, he didn't stumble, he had ready answers for everything, his positions were by and large appealing to a conservative electorate. Why doesn't he seem to penetrate more?

LIASSON: I think this is a mystery. Maybe because he seems too polished, or somehow light. I mean, one thing about Giuliani, if this is the year for authenticity, I would say that so far, Giuliani has been the authentic candidate in the race. He's very much himself, he's in your face, he seems to be comfortable in his own skin. You know --

HUME: Well, certainly Fred Thompson seemed authentic today. He was sort of the guy we've always known, wasn't he?

LIASSON: Yeah, that's right, that's right. But Romney's also strong and tough, and he has this incredible experience behind him.

HUME: Romney or Giuliani?

LIASSON: I mean Giuliani. But look, I think that nothing about what happened today in Detroit changed the dynamic of this particular race.

HUME: So you think that Fred Thompson will still remain in second place --

LIASSON: Yes, I do.

HUME: -- in a large number of places?

LIASSON: Probably, probably.

HUME: All right.