Ron Paul says the current slate of candidates need the “courage” of former President Ronald Reagan. Sounds pretty obvious for a Republican candidate. Except he made the comment in context of being able to withdraw US troops from Iraq.
The Texas Congressman, who has become an internet favorite but does not register much support in polls, said the Middle East is too unstable a region in which to maintain an indefinite US military presence. Paul compared the current “quagmire” in Iraq to military involvement in Lebanon in the early 1980s.
“We need the courage of a Ronald Reagan,” Paul said, explaining the former president initially vowed not to withdraw US Marines who were attacked in October 1983 in Beirut while serving as part of a multinational peacekeeping force. Reagan withdrew the troops in February of the following year.
Paul outlined his initial oppositions to the war in Iraq and his warnings that the war would become a quagmire like Vietnam. He said the war has shrunk the Republican base and touted his plan to end the war.
From the Govorners Youtube channel: I believe federal tax policies should be family friendly, starting with making the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts permanent. As President, I will also push for elimination of the marriage penalty.
“Shove it down his throat”. The latest off the cuff comment from Democrat Joe Biden. Here is the video from the April 07 Fish Fry, where he answers a question about Bush’s impending veto:
FLASHBACK: Is this not as bad as the gaff shown below when Biden said “You cannot go to a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian Accent.”?
Or how about when he said Obama was the first “clean” African American running for president?
EXIT QUESTION: Can he reassure YOU he has the dicipline needed?…
Mitt Romney: Many viewers were likely getting their first look at the former Massachusetts Governor and he clearly looked up to the job. Romney was engaging, optimistic and telegenic. He generally gave answers that reflected a familiarity with the big issues and used humor effectively (“Are you kidding me?” he said in response to the question of whether Bill Clinton should be back in the White House). He also managed to provide good if not great answers on his position changes on abortion over the years, and managed to subtly address the “Mormon question” by emphasizing that he is a person of faith. Some people we talked to after the debate thought Romney came across as too slick and too canned. The only time we felt that way was during his over-the-top attempt to make clear to voters he wanted Osama Bin-Laden dead.
Mike Huckabee: Plainspoken and genuine, Huckabee distinguished himself from the vast group not named McCain, Giuliani or Romney. Aside from McCain, Huckabee was the most critical about the current administration. Huckabee said he would have fired former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld before the November 2006 elections, adding:.” I certainly wouldn’t have said that we are not going to do it and then, right after the election, done so.” He also offered one of the most memorable lines of the night saying that Bush was listening too much “to a lot of folks who were civilians in suits and silk ties and not listening enough to the generals with mud and blood on their boots and medals on their chest.” The question for Huckabee is: “What’s next?” He has long been seen as a candidate with real potential in the race but hasn’t built the kind of financial and grassroots organizations to compete with the big boys. Can he now?
Questions from Viewers: Lots of people we talked to last night and this morning were upset about the format of the debate, arguing that it rewarded a slick soundbite over a substantive policy point. Maybe. But we really enjoyed the fact that the debate also featured a number of questions from “real” people. Sure a few of the questions were somewhat bizarre (Rep. Tom Tancredo got asked about organ donation). But we thought the question asking former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to explain the difference between Sunni and Shia was revealing. The viewer question portion of the debate wasn’t perfect, but it provided a nice change of pace.
Fred Thompson: The longer Thompson can avoid these forums but keep the excitement around his candidacy high, the better. It’s very difficult to come off as the savior of the Republican party when you are on stage with 10 other guys all claiming to be able to do the same thing. By staying out of the fray for now, Thompson avoids any potential pitfalls that come with taking rapid-fire questions on national television for ninety minutes. Given where he stands in most polls, he doesn’t need to subject himself to the melee just yet.
LOSERS
Rudy Giuliani: There was just too much talk about abortion and social issues for Giuliani to come out a winner. To his credit, he didn’t back down from his pro-abortion rights stance but his response that it would be “ok” if Roe v. Wade was overturned left us wanting more. We have long wondered when and if Republican activists, who are overwhelmingly “pro life,” would begin to look beyond Giuliani’s credentials as one of the heroes of the Sept. 11 and closely examine his stance on social issues. Last night could well have signaled the start of that deeper examination, which could spell trouble for Giuliani. Giuliani’s best moments came when he was trumpeting his accomplishments as mayor of New York City and when he pledged to stay on “offense” against the terrorists, but there were just not enough of them to neutralize all of the abortion talk.
Tommy Thompson: In our preview of last night’s debate we noted that Thompson had a story to tell but wondered whether he would get to tell it. He didn’t. And it didn’t help that Thompson never seemed to get his footing in the debate. He was expansive when he should have been concise and vice versa. Need evidence? Check out this response where he tried to package the Tommy Thompson story into 60 seconds: “I’m the reliable conservative. I vetoed 1,900 things. I reduced taxes by $16.5 billion. I’m from Wisconsin, a blue state, and I won four consecutive times. I still have a very high popularity appeal.” All true but said in such a rush that anyone not listening closely would have missed it.
Osama Bin-Laden: Romney didn’t seem to leave much room for tougher talk when he pledged that Bin-Laden “is going to pay, and he will die.” But McCain one-upped the former Governor with this gem: “We will track him down. We will capture him. We will bring him to justice, and I will follow him to the gates of hell.”
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.): Clinton entered the debate with high expectations and managed to meet them — not an easy task. She was informed, concise and under control at all times. She showed her tough side when asked what she would do in the event of simultaneous terrorist attacks against two American cities — a question Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) initially muffed before going back to it later — and managed to avoid any real confrontation over her refusal to apologize for her vote in favor of the use of force resolution. Clinton also got several breaks: her “elephant in the room” question was on why Republicans want to run against her next November (a hanging curveball that she belted), she was never the first candidate forced to answer one of the tougher questions (as Obama was on the terrorist attacks query), and she was given the chance to rebut several comments made by other candidates that seemed far from direct attacks on her. While Clinton didn’t determine the format of the debate, she definitely benefited from it.
Sen. Joe Biden (Del.): Every debate has a “moment.” Last night’s came courtesy of Biden. Asked by moderator Brian Williams whether he could “reassure voters in this country that you would have the discipline you would need on the world stage,” Biden responded simply: “Yes.” The comment drew laughs throughout the room (and in the press filing center as well) and effectively silenced Biden critics who argue he is incapable of answering any question without a 10-minute speech. That moment symbolized Biden’s evening. He was regularly one of the more quotable candidates on stage, an important trait in the TV age, and made sure voters knew of his long experience on issues both foreign and domestic. He even managed to work in a reference to his efforts to keep Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork from the bench — a sure winner in the eyes of liberal Democrats who loathe Bork.
Brian Williams: Moderating a 90-minute debate with eight candidates dead set on getting equal time is akin to performing a high-wire act without a net. Williams delivered — ensuring that viewers got to hear the most from the leading candidates in the polls while not excluding the others on stage. Williams also avoided injecting himself into the debate too much, picking his spots and using a quick wit to keep the candidates on their toes.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Ginsburg was selected by former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.) and Gov. Bill Richardson (N.M.) as their model Supreme Court Justice. Of course, Richardson and Dodd both chose deceased Justices (Byron “Whizzer” White for Richardson, William Brennan for Dodd) before being forced to name someone among the living.
Personal Questions: From a show of hands for who on the stage had ever had a gun in their home (Gravel, Biden, Dodd, Kucinich and Richardson each raised a hand) to a question asking each candidate to name the biggest mistake they had made in the past several years, the night has a bit of an “Oprah” feel to it. We were half-expecting the question: “If you were an animal, what animal would you be?”
LOSERS
Gov. Bill Richardson (N.M.): We’ve noted previously on The Fix that Richardson’s occasional tendency to appear more like a stand-up comic than a candidate for president complicates his chances of being taken seriously in the primary process. And, to his credit last night, Richardson was serious — almost too serious. Richardson regularly went over the allotted time for his answers, forcing Williams to cut him off in mid-sentence often. The New Mexico Governor also appeared uncomfortable at times on the stage, a visual impression heightened by the fact that his podium was off to one side of the stage. In the post-debate spin room Richardson was more himself — a gregarious, hands-on charmer with a detailed knowledge of what it takes to make government work. But, most people didn’t get to see that side of him. Richardson came into the debate as the candidate most likely to eventually join Edwards, Clinton and Obama in the top tier. Maybe. But his performance didn’t get him any close to that goal.
Former Sen. Mike Gravel (Alaska): People don’t like angry in their presidential candidates. And, “angry” typified Gravel’s performance last night. Gravel called Biden “arrogant”, said he felt like a “potted plant” because of the lack of questions directed to him. Taking a cue from Ronald Reagan, Gravel also said that he would forgive the other candidates on stage for their youth and inexperience. Last time we checked Gravel was an asterisk in any and all polling. Don’t be shocked if this is the only debate Gravel is asked to participate in.