Posted on 10/10/2007 12:05:52 AM PDT by Doofer
Oct. 9, 2007 - Fred Thompson stood a head taller than his fellow Republicans but he seemed in over his head as the CNBC debate began here. He wore the pained look of a man in need of a powerful digestive pill. But by the time the two-hour marathon ended, the new guy on the trail had gained just barely enough confidence, composure and credibility to make it to the next round of the GOP food fight. Fred didnt die today, said Ron Kaufman, one of Mitt Romneys top spin doctors.
Rudy Giuliani, trained for combat by the toughest press corps in the world (in New York), won the debate here in a few ways: by mentioning Hillary Clintons name every few seconds (a guaranteed applause line); by smacking down Ron Paul on the question of whether America had ever been attacked (Where were you on 9/11?); and by mixing it up with Romney on the question of who cut taxes and spending more (in fact, neither one of them is a real conservative on either matter.)
Giuliani also won by not losing, as Romney did when he declared that he would consult his lawyers before deciding whether he had the power as president to take out an Iranian nuclear facility. Romney may have been right on the constitutional procedure, but wrong in a debate where the objective was to woo hardline GOP voters.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
All in all a half way decent article on yesterdays debate.
The debate about the debate is more interesting than the debate itself.
So the GOP no longer respects the constitution?
Huckabee and Brownback supported a flat tax. A sensible idea.
Is there video of the debate on the internet for free that isn't pirated?
Don’t be facetious. That’s not the point.
My very Democratic neighbor said she could support Fred Thompson.
We have people here complaining about Bush overstepping with the Patriot Act and an extremely unpopular war outside of FR. Just this evening another report came in of an Australian security company shooting two civilians. This war is not going well.
I don’t want some trigger happy, overly emotional Rambo wannabe with his finger on the nuke button. I don’t want Hillary to have it either, you remember the woman who thinks the FBI files are her personal blackmail stash???
I want a president who is CAUTIOUS. I want a president who thinks decisions through carefully and consults with others, not someone who is high on his own ego. I want a president who not only says he values American lives and interests but ACTS like it. I want a president who won’t overstep the bounds of his office.
You’re wrong. That is exactly the point.
Romney’s answer is like if he were asked if he had just heard that his son had been taken to the hospital with potentially life threatening injuries and he needed to get there as soon as possible, what would be the first thing he would do?
And his answer would be he would check his driver’s license to make sure it was still valid before setting out to the hospital.
It is a matter of proprotion and balance. I agree that a prudent President would touch the legalities, but NO WAY is that the answer to the question asked. It is indicative of someone who has his priorities skewed.
Just to close the point: It there were only one right answer to this question it would be this one, offered up by Fred Thompson:
In any close call, you should go to Congress, whether its legally required or not, because youre going to need the American people and Congress will help you if theyre voting for it or if they support it. Or leaders, especially in the opposite party, are convinced and looking at the evidence that this is the right thing to do, that will help you with the American people. And weve learned that, over the long term in any conflict, weve got to have the strong support of the American people.
Fineman did his usual safe rehash of the MSM’s conventional wisdom. He could have done an interesting report on Chris Mattew’s pretense at being a legitimate journalist, a non-biased moderator, but no way would Fineman risk angering Matthews into exiling him, again, from his HARDBALL gig.
Here’s vintage Fineman blogging from the 2004 Boston Demo Convention...doing what he does best....sucking up to Chris Matthews: “Sometimes when you are tired — when you’ve been yakking all week and racing from a convention hall to a political reception to an interview — you screw up, big time, as Dick. Cheney would say. Well, I did that this morning by failing to defend the best political mind on tv, my loyal colleague and host Chris Matthews. Don Imus was complaining in his usual towel-snapping way that there was too much crosstalk on “Hardball,” that we were all trying to talk over each other. True enough, perhaps — we were all a little cranky by last night — but not Chris’ fault. He loves the game so, and knows so much about it and we all feed off of his energy and enthusiasm. ... Matthews is the best thing on political tv. That’s what I should have told Don Imus. ... So now I’m headed back to washington for more work — gotta write my newsweek piece — and, I hope, some sleep. “
You mean the same New York press that fawns over Hillary? They're about as tough as Hello Kitty.
Oh Senator Clinton, you're just the smartest woman in the world!
Thompson pretty well smacked that belief down for good.
Just some observations:
Stuck between the boisterous energy of Romney and Gulliani, Fred Thompson just didn’t have a chance. He looked old, moved slow, and really didn’t formulate his answers all that coherently. He’s now a second-tier candidate.
I like Mike Huckabee more and more. Seems like a nice guy.
Yesterday was Duncan Hunter’s best performance BY FAR. I’m starting to understand what people see in him.
One would have thought he would have already consulted the lawyers and knew what he could or could not do before he even enters the debate.
I want a president who is prepared to attack when needed. If he has to consult an attorney then he should have done that before he gets sworn in and be knowledgeable about what is powers are and the range of options he could take before it happens.
If he is simply reacting, we are in big trouble.
“Hes now a second-tier candidate.”
Hahaha! Not even your own campaign thought that!
Fred Thompson ‘08!
Don’t believe what you hear in the media. If the media tells me a security company is guilty of going Rambo, I’m more inclined to believe the security company did their job correctly. Ths MSM lies.
Indeed Romney is what one would call an a$$ kisser, and a bad one at that. He is more interested in garnering votes and looking like a potential President. Heck maybe after his failed attempt for 08, he can get an acting role similar to the one Martin Sheen has.
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