Posted on 09/06/2007 6:06:42 AM PDT by Idaho Whacko
The Iran question was a very, very important one. A chance to show a willingness to defend us at any cost, or to show indecision and wimpyness that encourages our enemies.
McCain nailed the Iran question better than anyone else. BUT his shamnesty rules him out, and his idiotic idea somehow 60 years of history will be reversed, and kind treatment of our enemies will result in kind treatment of our boys. Unlawful combatants are subject to summary execution in the field. Holding them and giving them any sort of hearing is already above and beyond in humanitarian terms, and far better than what the terrorists, the Chinese, the N. Koreans, the Iranians or anyone else would do for us. I wish ONE politician would say that. I think Guliani or Thompson would be most likely to.
Guliani gave the second best answer, and a good one. Point a crapload of missiles at them, and tell them to say uncle. I do like that he has experience actually running an administration, competence would be nice in higher office. I also like how he looked at the moderator like he was an idiot for asking about how other nations feel about us. I think he believes we should do the right thing regardless. The inability of most politicians to think this way is why we have so many gutless RINO's in office. I liked his states rights answers, but would he stick with them??
Mitt stunk on that question. I wanted to like him, but his mealy mouthed answer made me think that foreign policy and war fighting is a popularity contest. I think he would morph once in office from the pressure of the NYT, WaPo and the other RINO's at the dinner parties. He has a big head, which reminds me of Senator Lurch, and that's bad.
Huckabee did have the best one liner of the night.
Brownback is a moron.
Duncan hunter got told by a staffer to "lean against the podium, be at a 45 degree angle to the camera, and arch your eyebrows when you talk". It seemed like a pose, but his on-the-record positions match me better than any other candidate. I think that maybe a Guliani/Hunter ticket could do well, those soft on Guliani could look forward to Hunter as the strong man in 2016. I wonder if that team could carry NY and Cali?
Ron Paul exemplifies why the Libertarian Party is stuck in obscurity. He has some GREAT philosophies. But like most libertarian politicians and wanna-be's, he holds to the extreme (or logical conclusion) of those philosophies and miss-applies them in the real world. Do we want a declaration of war? YES!!! Do we hand our heads over to muslims because we have a weenie congress that won't declare war? No!! Is the CIA a huge mess and waste of money? YESS!!! Do we abolish it and wait for the first strike before we respond? NO!!! Particularly because libertarians advocate free and open borders (a nice theory, but like communism, unworkable), they cannot also say we need to gut intelligence, and ban wiretapping of int'l calls.
No thrill or memorable moments from the others.
Fred!! Has been waiting too long, should have been in this debate. At this point, while I was in love with Fred!, I think Guliani is the man. He has a track record. If we had a sea of new-blood GOP in congress, it would be a great combo. It would also be something to see him bitch-slap some old-guard RINO's. I hope that Thompson can turn his act around. In theory, he may be the best candidate from a conservative point of view. But he needs to compete with the Gravitas that Guliani exhibited last night.
Loved the Huckabee smack down of Ron Paul.
You can’t run for potus of New York City, right now I am leaning Thompson/Hunter. But, we are 15 months out, the real dream would be Newt at the helm....
I can’t endorse a Democrat-lite just because it would also be something to see him bitch-slap some old-guard RINO’s.
Like Bush, he’d probably be great at foreign relations and abyssmal at domestic ones.
Our country is facing destruction from TWO fronts and we can’t afford to ignore eithre one. The illegal invasion is no less critical against our national sovereignty and survival. AND GUILIANI FAILS THAT TEST!
Rudy Giuliani’s continuous answer was “What I did in New York...”
The rest of America doesn’t really CARE about what he did in New York. Most of the GOP base wants a conservative, and Rudy doesn’t fit the bill. His numbers may not be declining yet, but they also aren’t going up. Think about that.
IMHO Ron Paul came off looking like the “nutty professor”.
Thompson gets our vote and money!
Im with Fred.
As to the most popular...
Guliani is a liberal.
McCain is an old fool.
Mitt- Dont even get me started. I lived in MA during most of his reign.
FRED
FRED
FRED!
A Larry Craig/Mark Foley conservative?
You need a reality check...
See your doctor...
Fortunately, that occurred during the ten minutes I watched the debate. That exchange showed RP as a weakling on national security. I saw it as a defining moment, a Waterloo if you will, for the RP candidacy.
Not that he stood a chance anyway.
Ron Paul had all the right answers, but, came to the most awful conclusions. He is the only candidate that would make me vote for Hillary. His basic answer was we love the people but hate the (Insert your favorite) government. His answer to the Iran scenario was to go to congress and get a consensus. That is not leadership. Paul and Brownback should leave the stage. Rudy has got to get right with guns and, thankfully, the country is not NYC. McCain has delivered the country to those who play fast and loose with the rules. Mit, Tom and Duncan are alright. Fred is my man.
I thought Brownback and Tancredo were the clear losers in last nights debate. I like Tancredo because he is so strong on border security, but I don’t think he is ready for prime time and at 62 I’m not sure he will ever be Presidential material. Make a heckuva whip though if he’s respected on the Hill . . .
Brownback I don’t like because of his flip-flops on the amnesty bill. He is not clear or articulate.
I always like Hunter (he’s my candidate at this point), but FOX interviewed him post debate last at close to mid-night. That said, I’m always amazed at Hunter. He doesn’t get flustered and is specific and on-point to even tough questions. Really a remarkable speaker and political thinker, particularly on national security and border security.
Romney was first in the post debate interviews on FOX, so even after a terrible performance Romney maximized exposure. That said Romney hurt his chances last night and it’s hard to substitute a great campaign for a great candidate in the primary process where people are looking for who they really believe in.
Thompson’s Tonight Show announcement was anti-climactic and weaker than the floated “Grand Old Opry” announcement would have been. He isn’t going to win California anyway, why announce in a way that doesn’t hit his base as strongly as another type of announcement? He’d have been better off getting in the back of his red pickup and announcing a major press conference and rally in his home town.
Guilianni, McCain, and Huckabee improved their chances in my opinion. Which is not making me happy!
So just when will the Democrats be asked about immigration or abortion?
I just hate the guys don’t get equal time. I don’t want to watch the Rudy McCain Romney show.
I turned to Leno last night to see Fred's announcement. Literally, it put me to sleep. I dozed off twice while Fred was talking to Leno and finally just gave up and turned the TV off and went to sleep. Uninspiring. His web video announcement is tedious and my daughter said that in his web video he looked like Reverend Kane from Poltergeist II plus a couple of pounds.
Newt should have never stepped down from leadership just because the left was after him and landing blows. Americans respect a fighter, and a Congressman that is effective as a strategist and leader doesn’t have to answer to the country, only his constituents in his home district, his colleagues in the House, and his conscience. I hope Republicans start to fight back when they are attacked rather than just rolling over every time.
Newt can’t win the Presidency I don’t think. He should still be leading the House and should consider running for Congress or Senate . . .
I like the idea of Fred but I’m worried that he will stumble and we’ll have only the “Kennedy Wing of the Republican Party” (in Duncan Hunter’s words) as our choices. That’s why I want to see Hunter built up by grass roots conservatives. I understand the Fred Heads that rightly don’t want to see the conservative vote split in the primaries and think that Duncan Hunter can’t win. But there are three prominent left leaning candidates Romney, Guilianni, and McCain . . . the conservative candidates of Thompson and Hunter can do a little competing too without disaster.
Newt cant win the Presidency I dont think. He should still be leading the House and should consider running for Congress or Senate . . .
Maybe not in 2008 but, there is the future....
BTW, if he was still running congress, he would not need to run for congress, only the senate, I am just saying....
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