June 06, 2007

The Republicans Square Off - Republican Debate

Romney, Giuliani, McCainLet me just say up front that I'm getting pretty tired of the debates. Canned, predictable questions lead to canned, predictable answers. At this point I wish they'd just weed out the chaff. Seriously, does anyone care what Tommy Thompson, Mike Gravel, Chris Dodd or some of the others have to say? Get rid of the guys who aren't serious contenders (use the amount of money raised as a litmus test if necessary) and throw all the candidates together, Republican and Democrat, and have a real debate. That's my boredom speaking.

So let's start this debate review a different way:

Loser of the debate - Tom Tancredo. You know, before the debate last night I at least respected Tancredo's passion about the immigration issue. I didn't think he had a chance to win but I thought he at least had a shot at the VP slot. Not now.

When the candidates were asked how they would "use" President Bush if they were elected president, Tom Tancredo told the story of a call he got from Karl Rove during a discussion of the immigration issue a few years ago. Tancredo said Rove told him to "never darken the door of the White House" again.

"I've been so disappointed in the president in so many ways," said Tancredo, who complained about the administration's immigration, education and prescription-drug policies before asserting that, "As president, I would have to tell George Bush exactly the same thing that Karl Rove told me".

(Suggested tip from staff: "Pull on your big girl panties and act like a presidential candidate instead of a teenager who couldn't get a date to the prom.")

In what I consider a bad sign for his campaign Tancredo told reporters that he plans to scale back his weekly visits to the early caucus and primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Mitt Romney - Points for a tough and honest answer on the Iraq war "we were underprepared and underplanned for what came after we knocked down Saddam Hussein". He also gave a good defense of his Mormon religion that was too long for a soundbite. His staff needs to help him hone that passion into a snappy two or three sentence response and keep repeating it to anyone who persists in asking the question. Romney gave an excellent answer to McCain's rhetoric that anyone who disagrees with his immigration bill should offer an alternate plan. Romney suggested that we follow the laws already on the books.

Rudy Giuliani - Points for saying that going into Iraq was absolutely the right thing to do. He also gave a tough rebuttal on McCain's blather about immigration. I would have been interested in his answer on abortion but I was laughing too hard at the lightning strike to catch what he said. Extra points for calling McCain's immigration bill a "typical Washington mess".

John McCain - I really don't have much to say about him. He was declared the de facto winner by many of the MSM but I wasn't impressed by his performance. McCain seemed to be playing defense to both Giuliani and Romney.

The rest of the field - They're all starting to run together! Even Ron Paul is starting to bore me at this point and before I could always count on him for a laugh. I thought that by this time I would be more impressed by Hunter, Brownback or Huckabee but so far none of them have given an answer that has distinguished from the rest of the second tier.

Winner of the debate - God. He gave us the biggest laugh of the night with that well timed lightning strike.

[Cross posted from A Lovely Infidel.]

Posted by JanetteS at June 6, 2007 09:22 PM
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