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Transcript: The debate (Reagan Library GOP Debate)
International Herald Tribune ^ | 05/03/2007

Posted on 05/03/2007 10:54:45 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007

MSNBC's Republican presidential debate with candidates: Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas);the former Virginia governor James Gilmore (R-Virginia); the former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani; the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee; Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California); Senator John McCain (R-Arizona); Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas); the former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney; Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado); and the former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson. Moderated by Chris Matthews with questions by John Harris, editor in chief of politico.com and Jim Vandehei, executive editor of politico.com. At the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California Transcribed by the Federal News Service, a private transcription agency.

(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; debate; duncanhunter; elections; giuliani; mittromney; msnbcsux; paul; presidentialdebate; prolife; ronpaul; transcript
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To: Sender
It appears that we have failed in respecting the freedom of religion, at least in respect to any freedom to govern or legislate in accordance with the politician's concept of God's will. The ACLU will strike it down if it has any reverence to God.

And that is because the courts have allowed Atheists to sue for being offended by God. Atheists and those who doubt the existence of God are the ones who want all references removed to free their conscience. And this is the part that rubs a lot of people. Government is not trying to establish a state religion, but people who have no faith want to prohibit the free exercise of religion to others. Then, when their challenge is denied, they cry that the Government is favoring a certain faith over their desire for no faith.

What the non-believers REALLY want is the separation of ALL RELIGION and public life, which directly goes against the 1st Amendment.
41 posted on 05/04/2007 6:11:37 AM PDT by Eagle of Liberty (The United States of America is the only country strong enough to go it alone.)
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To: LowOiL
Ron Paul -- "My major political decision, which was a constitutional decision, was to urge for five years that this country not go to war in Iraq."

Although I liked some of what Paul said and stands for, this particular decision is awful. While I fully agree that we should have told Pakistan to pound sand when we thought that Bin Laden went into that country (BTW, can anyone tell me WHY we did not follow him and Al-Qaeda into Pakistan?), I still think that Iraq was the best next logical step.

I have debated a few people recently about the "rush to go into Iraq" and I am left dumbfounded after every attempt at persuasion. Once I get a leg up and begin to prove some good points, they end the discussion.

Is Paul an isolationist?
42 posted on 05/04/2007 6:34:06 AM PDT by Eagle of Liberty (The United States of America is the only country strong enough to go it alone.)
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To: The Spirit Of Allegiance

Like the list. I would add one more item dealing with NO PORK!


43 posted on 05/04/2007 6:37:16 AM PDT by Eagle of Liberty (The United States of America is the only country strong enough to go it alone.)
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To: The_Eaglet
Watching that debate last night reminded me there is still hope for these United States in Ron Paul. It also reminded me of the simplistic pap too many want to hear from politicians before they'll gladly vote for them. Two of the questions Giuliani's actual response was optimism. Well that is when he shut up about supposedly lowering the crime rate in NYC. And I don't know where McCain was going with his 'gates of hell' comment but he just seemed like a crazy old man you'd find wandering around in the streets.

Paul's answers were correct, Constitutional, and spot on each and every time.

44 posted on 05/04/2007 6:51:17 AM PDT by billbears (Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. --Santayana)
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To: LowOiL
Romney -- "we have a separation of church and state; it's served us well in this country."

He lost me there forever...

He made this statement in context of the government not interfering with the internal workings of the church. In that sense, he was returning to the original intent of the First Amendment and the statement in Thomas Jefferson's letter. He was not supporting the idea of liberals using the First Amendment to attack religion or religious practice. I think this statement made him look better.

45 posted on 05/04/2007 6:54:17 AM PDT by WFTR (Liberty isn't for cowards)
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To: Kerretarded

REPLYING TO YOUR QUESTIONS:

(1) I’ve always gotten the drift that Paul IS a type of isolationist. I’m not sure which type...yes, there’s more than one.

Not only that, but he thinks Scooter Libby shouldn’t be considered for a pardon - not because he agrees with the jury verdict necessarily, or even the indictment per se, but because Libby was part of an administration that allegedly misled us into war with Saddam.

Simply a mind boggling statement!!

(2) Pakistan is a powder keg. Much more dangerous to try to control than Iraq, and you see how difficult Iraq has become. The Paks have nuclear weapons. Musharraf is always hanging onto power by a thread. The alternative to Musharraf would be an Islamic fundamentalist government (think Taliban).

Also, the tribal regions where Bin Laden went are the wildest, most impenetrable topography in the world. Beyond the imagination to conceive of unless you were there to see for yourself. But the locals do know the land. And they support Bin Laden with their lives and everything they have.


46 posted on 05/04/2007 6:58:49 AM PDT by txrangerette (Congressman Duncan Hunter for POTUS...check him out!!)
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To: CounterCounterCulture

Thanks for the ping.


47 posted on 05/04/2007 7:41:47 AM PDT by FreeReign
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To: calcowgirl

Romney should have asked Matthews if he had secret service protection first before answering. ;-)


48 posted on 05/04/2007 7:58:38 AM PDT by Rameumptom (Gen X= they killed 1 in 4 of us)
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To: txrangerette
(2) Pakistan is a powder keg. Much more dangerous to try to control than Iraq, and you see how difficult Iraq has become. The Paks have nuclear weapons. Musharraf is always hanging onto power by a thread. The alternative to Musharraf would be an Islamic fundamentalist government (think Taliban).

Also, the tribal regions where Bin Laden went are the wildest, most impenetrable topography in the world. Beyond the imagination to conceive of unless you were there to see for yourself. But the locals do know the land. And they support Bin Laden with their lives and everything they have.


Understood. But, we would not be trying to control Pakistan. Musharraf seems to have at least some kind of hold on the stability of that country. And since Musharraf's troubles are coming from the same people that are loyal to Bin Laden, couldn't he benefit as well by allowing our troops to assist him? Or would more of the country turn on him if he allowed our short-term presence? I at least gotta think that we are doing covert missions inside Pakistan to look for him.

Also, if that country is indeed a powderkeg WITH nukes, AND they are harboring the Taliban and perhaps Bin Laden if he still exists, why didn't we go into Pakistan AND THEN Iraq? There has to be a bigger reason why we didn't go into Pakistan. China' possible intervention or something.
49 posted on 05/04/2007 8:02:28 AM PDT by Eagle of Liberty (The United States of America is the only country strong enough to go it alone.)
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To: Kerretarded

That Pakistan is a powder keg with nukes seems to make you think we SHOULD have gone in.

My point is for THAT very reason we did NOT want to go in. Musharraf could be ousted at any second, I think we believe. If ousted his replacement would be Taliban with their hands on nukes.

Pakistan has a huge population, mostly radicalized young people “educated” in the Madrassas. It would never remain just a war between our soldiers AND the tribal region and bin Laden. The whole of the country would freak out if we were KNOWN to be in that country causing HECK for the jihadists and tribesmen who are hosting them.

Also, we haven’t always thought we knew where bin Laden disappeared to after Tora Bora. It was quite a bit later that we seemed to settle on Waziristan. We didn’t have a trail on him as he fled Tora Bora...if we had, we would have taken him out with a drone hellfire missle.


50 posted on 05/04/2007 8:26:32 AM PDT by txrangerette (Congressman Duncan Hunter for POTUS...check him out!!)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

transcript self ping for later


51 posted on 05/04/2007 8:28:12 AM PDT by Christian4Bush (Dennis Miller said it best “Liberals always feel your pain. Unless of course, they caused it.”)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

THANKS!


52 posted on 05/04/2007 8:39:56 AM PDT by Sun (Vote for Duncan Hunter in the primaries. See you there.)
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To: All

A bunch of FReepers heard Duncan Hunter say that we should “err” on the side of life re: Terri Schiavo, but for some reason, it wasn’t included in this transcript:

http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=5562636

MR. MATTHEWS: Okay.
Let me ask you a question which has grabbed a lot of Americans personally, the Terri Schaivo case. Again, it was a question of whether the United States — the U.S. Congress should have intervened and passed a law to advise the appellate court whether to act or not in this case, the district court it was. Terri Schaivo, should Congress have acted or let the family make the decision, the husband?
MR. ROMNEY: I think we should generally let the family make a decision of this nature. In the case —
MR. MATTHEWS: The husband should have decided?
MR. ROMNEY: Generally we should make that decision.
In the case here, the courts decided that — what they thought was the right thing to do, and then I think Jeb Bush and the Florida legislature did the right thing by saying we’ve got a concern. They looked over the shoulder of the court. But I think the decision of Congress to get involved was a mistake.
MR. MATTHEWS: Okay.
MR. ROMNEY: I think that Congress’s job is to make sure that laws are respecting the sanctity of life. But to actually adjudicate a case like this, better done at the state level by the governor, the legislature and the court.
MR. MATTHEWS: Senator Brownback, should Congress have gotten involved in that personal case?
SEN. BROWNBACK: Yes, it should have, and it gave her the right and the family the right to take that appeal to the court. That’s what the Congress did.
And her life is sacred. Even if it’s in that difficult moment that she’s in at that point in time, that life is sacred. And we should stand for life in all its circumstances.
MR. MATTHEWS: Senator McCain, was Congress right in intervening in that case?
SEN. MCCAIN: It was a very, very difficult issue. All of us were deeply moved by the pictures and the depiction of this terrible, tragic case. In retrospect, we should have taken some more time, looked at it more carefully, and probably reacted to hastily.
MR. MATTHEWS: Mayor Giuliani, was that a good thing for Congress to do, to get involved that weekend?
MR. GIULIANI: The family was in dispute. That’s what we have courts for. And the better place to decide that in a much more — I think in a much fairer and even in a deeper way is in front of a court.


53 posted on 05/04/2007 8:53:10 AM PDT by Sun (Vote for Duncan Hunter in the primaries. See you there.)
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To: United Freeping States; dschapin

Please see my post #53.


54 posted on 05/04/2007 9:18:15 AM PDT by Sun (Vote for Duncan Hunter in the primaries. See you there.)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

Having Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and David Gregory provide insight and commentary on a Republican Presidential Debate is like asking a vegetarian his opinion on a steakhouse.


55 posted on 05/04/2007 9:20:14 AM PDT by bigeasy_70118
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To: Sun
I found it:
56 posted on 05/04/2007 9:23:33 AM PDT by Gelato (... a liberal is a liberal is a liberal ...)
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To: AuntB; Liz; Ultra Sonic 007; NapkinUser; pissant; calcowgirl

bumping calcowgirl

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1828207/posts?page=15#15


57 posted on 05/04/2007 9:24:17 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Gelato

“I found it:
MR. MATTHEWS: Okay. Congressman, Bill Clinton back home.
REP. HUNTER: You know, Bill Clinton cut the U.S. Army by almost 50 percent. In this war against terror, he’s the wrong guy to have in there.

And incidentally, on the Schiavo case, you know Ronald Reagan said on the question of life, when there’s a question, error on the side of life. I think Congress did the right thing.”

Thank you!

It looks like even though Hunter wasn’t directly asked the question, he wanted to make sure his stand was known later on.


58 posted on 05/04/2007 9:34:53 AM PDT by Sun (Vote for Duncan Hunter in the primaries. See you there.)
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To: 8mmMauser; Gelato

8mmMauser, please see posts 56 & 58, fyi, and thanks to Gelato!


59 posted on 05/04/2007 9:41:52 AM PDT by Sun (Vote for Duncan Hunter in the primaries. See you there.)
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To: Gelato; Sun; Ultra Sonic 007
Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm


60 posted on 05/04/2007 10:27:55 AM PDT by 8mmMauser (Jezu ufam tobie...Jesus I trust in Thee)
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