Giuliani

Second GOP Debate

Calvin Freiburger 2008, conservatism, debate, Fox News, Gilmore, Giuliani, GOP, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Huckabee, McCain, romney, Ron Paul, South Carolina, Tancredo, Tommy Thompson
UPDATE: Full video here. UPDATE 2: Is it just me, or was the subject of Iran conspicuously absent last night?
–
My random thoughts as I watch:
–
It seems Fox News is running a far-less scattered debate than the first one: Down-the-line questions focusing on the distinctions between each candidate.
–
Iraq: Tommy completely dodged the question on how he could force the democratically-elected government to adopt his proposals, instead going into his preprogrammed speech; Hunter is an impressive candidate, but his shot at the others’ lack of military experience was a low blow; Brownback’s “togetherness” angle was lame.
–
Good lines: McCain’s “I never met a drunken sailor with the imagination of the spenders in Congress,” and Huckabee’s “spending like John Edwards at a beauty salon.”
–
“Which programs would you cut?” Tommy: Incoherent.
–
Uncle Ron Paul: he’d get us all killed, but I can’t really fault his sweeping approach to cutting bureaucracy.
–
Tancredo: plenty of the Republicans we hear have themselves moved to expand government. Correct.
–
Rudy: “First of all, ‘Rudy McRomney’ wouldn’t be a bad ticket.” OK, not a bad line. Still doesn’t change the lameness of his (also-preprogrammed) list of talking points.
–
McCain: “Bipartisanship…blah blah blah…”
–
Romney: Good line about Massachusettes being “so blue you can’t tell if it’s black.”
–
I’d have to hear his answer again (got distracted by another blog), but did Tommy try to play both ends of the road on embryonic stem cells?
–
Huckabee: “We value one life as we value all,” as opposed to Islamofascist “culture of death.” Bravo, Governor. Props to Brownback as well, for his answer on rape abortions.
–
Mitt didn’t really answer the abortion question directly. Come on, you can do better. Mitt on immigration: liked the sentiment, but more specific, please.
–
McCain: in rebuttal to Romney, ignored the critique of his legislation & instead played the flip-flop card. Smarmy.
–
Giuliani on immigration: does this man even know how to speak in anything other than soundbytes?
–
Ron Paul talking up conservatism’s non-interventionist history we’re supposed to return to. Guess what, Ron? Something happened. It’s called world war. And now 9/11 is our fault?
–
Credit where credit is due: Rudy blasting Ron Paul for his 9/11 line. Bravo, Mayor. But asking for another 30 seconds seemed just a bit much.
–
Romney: great answer about preventing terroism, Gitmo & keeping terrorists from US lawyers, but I’d like to know what he thinks the difference between “enhanced interrogation” and “torture” is.
–
Duncan Hunter: Simply “get the information.” I agree.
–
My reaction to McCain on torture: you think terrorists are gonna be nicer to American captives if we’re nicer to jihadis prisoners? What planet are you on?
–
Tancredo: If a nuke goes off in America, I’m lookin’ for Jack Bauer. Indeed.
–
Best performances: Huckabee & Hunter. Mitt comes in third (not as strong as the first time around), and everyone else has generally been kinda “eh,” save the highlights I’ve noted. Having all these guys on together is kind of an interesting contrast, but come on: next time, just have Giuliani, McCain & Romney on. That’s the only real choice we have.
–
(Oh, and I’m just curious: y’think the commercials are there to give Tommy bathroom breaks?)

First Republican Primary Debate

Calvin Freiburger 2008, conservatism, debate, Duncan Hunter, Giuliani, GOP, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, McCain, Ron Paul, Tancredo, Tommy Thompson
Full video here. Best performances: Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, & Duncan Hunter. John McCain did well, though the almost-angry tone that soared talking about the war seemed a little odd in other places (vowing to follow Osama bin Laden “to the gates of Hell” was a great touch, but his smile afterward was just creepy). The rest of the candidates were fair…except for Tommy Thompson & Ron “Kos-wing-of-the-party” Paul. Just go home, you two. Please.
–
Some points of interest:
–
One of the things the three who impressed me most managed to do was work in issues that were otherwise on the back burner: for instance, Mitt worked a McCain-Feingold jab into a pro-life answer, Hunter’s now-famous “Yes, and let me use the rest of my time on Iran” answer to “Are you a compassionate conservative?,” and Tancredo getting in immigration repeatedly.
–
When asked about churches who ex-communicate pro-choicers, Romney turned the tables on the Left by noting that, thanks to the separation of church & state, churches have the freedom to do what they want. Overall he was passionate, optimistic, & confident; and several have noticed (even Savage?!).
–
Tancredo had some nice moments, such as calling Roe v. Wade’s hypothetical overturn “the greatest day in American history,” calling for the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, and noting that their host, the Reagan Library, was in honor of a man who was not a centrist.
–
Giuliani may have know the difference between Sunni and Shia, but offered little to match the hype (especially not Michael Medved’s ridiculous description of him as “Reaganesque”). Certainly not his “eh, whatever” reaction to Roe’s future fall. Weak.

Tidbits from the Republican Primary

Calvin Freiburger 2008, Fred Thompson, Giuliani, GOP, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post
Mitt Romney has a great Townhall piece blasting McCain-Feingold (by the way, he’ll also be giving the commencement address at my soon-to-be school, Hillsdale College).
–
Fred Thompson: “mulling summer announcement,” though he hasn’t made a final decision yet. I would humbly point out to my fellow conservatives two things: 1.) there’s a Republican primary debate just days away, and 2.) right now, my guy is an actual candidate.
–
Whoops: “Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani released his latest slate of New Hampshire supporters last week. One problem: Not all of them back the former New York City mayor.”
–
And John McCain: idiot.