[Scirparius]

Trump is avoiding the Kelly/Fox trap. You can act like he is trying to "duck" Cruz, but love him or hate him, Trump is one over-confident SOB. He isn't scared of Cruz even if he should be.

But it's clear the debate moderators were rigging the game against Trump. Avoiding the rigged debate is the smart move, and doing it in a brash way keeps Trump in the headlines. Trump's probably getting twice as much press coverage as if would have gotten going to the debate.

Cruz is the one being disingenuous here. He knows Trump is dodging the Fox ambush, not him, but he's making it about him to try to tag along with Trump in the headlines. Trump's move was a jack ass move, but politically it was pretty savvy. Cruz is scrambling to keep up.

If Cruz wanted to do the principled thing, he'd step out of the debate, too. Show some solidarity with your fellow Republican candidate. Make this a liberal media vs. Republican candidates fight, and lift your whole party up, rather than tearing each other down (which, of course, Trump is guilty of, too).

[InterceptPoint]

Trump fears a trap. In a debate. Where tough questions get asked. Where embarrassing questions get asked.

And you want me to believe that the clever Mr. Trump just can’t deal with those toughies.

That’s nonsense. A Fox Trap. Double nonsense.

Trump believes that his chance of winning in Iowa is better if he skips the debate. And he may well be correct in that assessment. But it is Cruz and Rubio who he fears not Fox and Kelly.

Half of Iowa will be watching. They won’t get to see Mr. Wonderful. They won’t miss much.

A risky political calculation by Trump and his advisors. I would like to wish them luck but somehow I can’t.

Fox Trap. What a joke. Get serious. Stop making excuses for Trump. He chickened out all on his own.