Debate Thread

If you're watching.

The 30 second limit on answers pretty much guarantees the most scripted of soundbite campaign slogans.

Interesting moments: Giuliani offers a "nuanced" position on abortion, as Chris Matthews puts it (supporting NY state's decision to use taxpayer money to fund abortions, but supporting other states' rights to make a different decision; saying he hates abortions, but must respect a woman's right to "choose another path"); McCain stating, as if it's a good thing, that he knows how to walk across the aisle to deal with Democrats as he's been doing it "his entire career."

Yes, we know that, Senator. That's the problem.

Jim Geraghty's Live-Blog, Plus Wrap-Up Reaction: Read it here. Scroll down, then start reading up for fresher posts as the debate wore on.

First thought: Who the hell thought Chris Matthews would make a good moderator? I thought he interrupted the candidates too much, got into this bizarre tussle with Huckabee over a comment he gave to George Stephanopolous, basically brought his whole hyper, over-caffeinated Hardball persona, and it just wasn’t the right tone for the debate that introduces so many of the candidates to the public for the first time. The questions from the Politico were a joke, including asking [Tommy] Thompson to name the exact number of casualties in Iraq. Absolute sandbagging; if the Democrats won’t go on Fox, the GOP should tell MSNBC and the Politico to go to hell.

He thought McCain did very well. My boy, not so much:

Giuliani is going to get whacked around a lot for his performance tonight. Clearly the format didn’t help him. I said watching him try to explain the difference between Shia and Sunni was as painful as watching Joe Theismann have his leg broken by Lawrence Taylor back in the 1980s. Rudy’s better than this performance; the question will be whether this really hurt him.

Although honest to God, if Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama had been given the same question on differences between Shia and Sunni, I'd bet either of them would have/could have fumbled as badly. Really unfair that he got hit with that one.

Oh, then there's this:

Good God, Democrats, quit whining about how Fox News isn't fair to you... the Republicans have Keith Olbermann doing the pregame show...

This is the same finger I disdainfully shake at Republicans.

posted by Ace at 09:09 PM

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