“Newt and Cain were the only candidates in this cycle who showed any ability here.”
They would have done no such thing; they were allowed to be heard because the media saw them as no threat who could only weaken the real candidate in the end. Romney wasn’t a great candidate, but McCain/Palin were no better against the slings and arrows of the press.
ANY candidate will be attacked like this, and their response, even if brilliant, will only be seen by a small number of people (while their Dem opponent has praise showered on them). Just think about the state of the economy, and realize that Obama WON RE-ELECTION in this.
It is absolutely frightening how the campaign of mis-information can have such an impact on all of our lives...
The person at the top of the ticket needs this ability. We lacked this in 2008 and 2012. Reagan managed it.