.
.
.
.
. 
.
.
. 
.
With Labor Day weekend come and gone, and the kids and young adults having started school and college, the country at large feels settled into a busy groove. Summer’s over. It’s time to pay attention to more than just fun and frivolity (not that there’s anything wrong with that– you know, that "pursuit of happiness" thing…). With the start of presidential primaries suddenly just around the corner, the time is nigh for people to start paying attention.
.
It just seems so "right" to come away with the conclusion that last night’s Fox News Republican presidential debate represented the true start of the campaign. Add the "Fred factor" into the mix, and the evening was truly electric. Finally, after many months of campaigning already in the can, the thing actually begins– and I don’t mean just for Fred Dalton Thompson– I mean for everybody. I know– a lot’s already happened. Gilmore’s out. McCain suffered a near fatal blow resulting from the illegal immigration issue. The fact remains that for many ordinary people– especially those in the middle who swing elections– all of that is old history, occuring at a time when they weren’t paying politics any attention whatsoever. Whether those of us who thrive on this stuff want to admit it or not, the campaign for the GOP nomination offically began September 5, 2007…
.
As far as the debate goes– just a couple of comments. First of all, we could have done without "Campaign Carl" at the restaurant in Durham. I’m not sure if it was just me, but did anyone notice he would have the "regular person" articulate a statement or phrase and the "relay" the "question" back to the debate hosts– except the "question" wasn’t really what the person said? This repeated segment seemed so tacky and contrived. Just host the debate, already. Fox did a better job the last time, I thought.
.
As far as the evening goes, I pretty much agree with Rich Lowry’s assessment— McCain won the night. He was really on top of his game and came across as honest. His answers to the illegal immigration matter reflected thoughtful analysis and in no way gave the impression of a dodge. It is impressive to see someone take a tough question head on. Right on his heels was Rudy Giuliani, who also sounded well prepared and comfortable with his views and beliefs. Mitt comes in third, with his Iraq war position as articulated so poorly coming as a surprise. Where I disagree with Rich is his naming Fred Thompson as the evening’s big loser. I see it the opposite– when the opening question in a national debate is about the person NOT there, I think that demonstrates a certain level of strength in a way. The name recognition and repeated mentions throughout the whole affair are a plus to Fred, as far as I’m concerned.
.
I was also impressed with Mike Huckabee’s overall showing. He demonstrated why he has pulled up so strong in the race, falling in just behind the frontrunners. He is quick witted and is an impressive presence on the stage. Tancredo was really good, as expected, on the illegal immigration issue. Duncan Hunter was his usual studied, serious self as well. Ron Paul, while I disagree with a number of his positions, really does describe the libertarian positions and beliefs in a rather easy to understand fashion. You can easily discern why his followers so ferverently support him. I really enjoyed the back and forth he had with Huckabee.
.
All in all, the evening was a good one for Republicans in that it appears that some fire has started within. The candidates were all on their game, and the crowd in attendence was rowdy and enthusiastic. Unlike other pundits out there, I see the GOP field as one that contains a number of good quality candidates to choose from this cycle, unlike some previous ones. When I contemplated that, and threw in the added newness of Fred Thompson’s entry into the race on the same evening– albeit by less traditional means– I can say that I went to bed more confident about next November than I have in quite some time– since last November, actually…