Post-Debate Debates: How Did the GOP Candidates Do?
As someone who was raised Catholic and spent years listening to nuns warn me about divine retribution, the high point of last night's GOP debate was the lightning strike while Rudy Giuliani was trying to answer a question about his abortion stance, and his subsequent glance skyward. And then John McCain and Mitt Romney, on either side of the former New York mayor, slowly backing away when a second boom of thunder interrupted him. Perfect comic timing.
In case you missed the debate, Althouse "simulblogged" the entire evening, as did David Weigel at Reason's Hit and Run blog, so you can see each candidate's answer to each question. Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters felt it was another good night for Giuliani and a bad one for McCain and CNN. He thought the audience asked better questions than the professional journalists.
Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas really ticked off Tom Tomorrow of This Modern World with the way he answered a question about the Iraq war from a woman whose brother had died there. Frank James at the Chicago Tribune's The Swamp blog said all the candidates acquitted themselves reasonably well, including Rep. Ron Paul and former Gov. Tommy Thompson. And only Paul, he notes, was willing to directly address the issue of why the GOP lost so heavily in the 2006 elections: the war in Iraq. Paul was also the only candidate who said directly said he would not pardon Scooter Libby.
Roger Simon of Politico said Romney was the best in the debate, with Giuliani second and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (playing for veep status, according to Simon) in third.
The real loser in last night's debate, however, was the president. As CNN reports, the candidates from his own party were taking open shots at him on almost every issue.
9:33 AM ET | 06- 6-2007 | permalink
