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Once again, as I noted in this previous post, Fox News is the big winner of the debate, Asking thoughtful, informed questions with the right amount of followup is a service to America. Beyond that, contrary to what others might say, and Ron Paul notwithstanding, the overall field of Republican candidates is as good as any I can remember. Starting this post while the debate is still going , I am vacillating between 3 or 4 who have impressed me as being the "winner". McCain, Giuliani, Huckabee and Romney appear to be at the top of their game. Of course, I cannot disagree with much of what Duncan Hunter and Tancredo have said thus far either. Fred Thompson gets points for his simple, plain language and stands out from the rest with his laid-back country style. The question is whether it sells nationally.
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I will watch from this point till the end. The rest of my thoughts that will follow will be written after it’s over…
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If anything, the debate leaves me almost salivating at the prospect of a Giuliani/ Clinton campiagn in the general election. The Mayor comes off as tough enough to face the guaranteed onslaught that will be delivered by the Clinton slime machine. Additionally, he showed he has the gravitas necessary to deal with a media that will undoubtedly be hostile to whoever the Republicans pick. At the same time, Rudy continued to impress me and my wife with his air of honesty and sincerity as he speaks. His answers never appear to be contrived. Should he end up as the nominee, I think he will be well received by many ordinary Americans.
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Tonight’s performance reminds us why you cannot count McCain out at this point, either. He was relaxed and at ease with both the venue and his own beliefs and positions. His command of the issues and the polished, yet relaxed delivery showed him to be the experienced statesman that one can easily imagine in the White House. I think that Senator McCain as the nominee of the GOP, like Rudy Giuluiani, would present a formidable obstacle, hopefully blocking Hillary’s path to the presidency. I particularly liked the Senator’s answer regarding "being tied up" during the Woodstock era and his description of the Russian leader Putin with "three letters: KGB."
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Huckabee showed why he is again and again mentioned as the potential "wild card" for the Republicans with his quick wit and obvious strong mind. "There’s nothing funny about Hillary Clinton being president," he said, followed by a resounding applause of approval. Mitt Romney’s skills as a speaker used to making presentations to people was once again clearly evident. For me, the continued danger is that he will be painted as a "flip-flopper", like John Kerry. The chance it will believed by the crucial swing voters needed to win in ’08 is one I’m not sure I want to risk. Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo were, well, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo. Both are good, solid Republicans with strong records as conservative congressmen. Both showed why we need to help them continue to get reelected to their seats again and again. President? Both would probably be good at the job, but I just don’t see them winning a national campaign.
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All in all, this Fox News debate brought out many of the issues, tackled by a great batch of candidates, that made me proud to be a Republican. We are the party of REAL ideas and solutuions. Can you imagine the Fox News crew hosting a debate of the Democrats? Given their platform based on sound bites, emotion, and rhetoric, it is no wonder they are unwilling to appear in such a venue…
