Nice Recap of Wednesdy’s Debate
10 October 2007Here is a nice, Fred focused recap of the debate — though I’m not fond of Breitbart’s title. I have to say, the most shocking reply was when Mitt Romney said that he needed lawyers to tell him when to go to war and when not to! Nice “leadership” there, Mitt.
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Thompson avoids gaffes in debut debate
Newcomer Fred Thompson muscled into his debut debate with Republican White House rivals Tuesday, avoiding gaffes, vowing to battle “Islamic fascism” and declaring the race “boring” without him.
Despite a nervy start and mocking reviews since he entered the fray last month, the screen star and former senator grew in confidence in his first televised clash with party foes.
Thompson dodged snares laid by debate moderators and top rivals, New York’s ex-mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, called for a robust foreign policy and backed the Iraq troop surge policy.
“It is a global war — Islamic fascism has declared it upon us,” said Thompson, who played a gritty prosecutor in internationally syndicated crime drama “Law & Order.”
“They play by no rules and they are intent on bringing down Western civilization and the United States of America,” said Thompson, hoping to follow Republican idol Ronald Reagan from the silver screen to the Oval Office.
Romney, who runs well in early voting states, and Giuliani, the national front-runner, carried on their increasingly intense private battle in the debate broadcast by business channel CNBC.
Romney also took a swipe at Thompson, who is targeting dismay at the presidential field among social and religious conservatives.
“This is a lot like ‘Law & Order’: it has a huge cast, the series seems to go on forever … and Fred Thompson shows up at the end.”
Thompson hit back, “I’ve enjoyed watching these fellows, (but) I’ve got to admit, it was getting a little boring without me.”
The actor, who has faced criticism that he is not up to speed on current events, also dodged a sucker punch question, confidently answering “Harper” when asked to name the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper.
Romney branded Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a “rogue and a buffoon” and criticized his trip to the United Nations General Assembly last month.
But his rivals will pounce on his response when asked whether a US president should request authorization from Congress before launching a military strike at any future Iran nuclear weapons plant.
“You sit down with your attorneys and tell you want you have to do,” he said, before adding the president always had to act in the best interest of the United States.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee said he would attack Iran in a “heartbeat” if it was an immediate threat, but longshot candidate Ron Paul said the notion that Iran endangered the US mainland was “preposterous.”
Senator John McCain pledged to consult Congress before mounting a hypothetical strike on Iran, which he said “is, maybe, closer to reality than we are discussing tonight.”
Iran has denied accusations that it intends to develop nuclear weapons.
Thompson sparked intense anticipation by hovering for weeks on the edge of the Republican field, and is trying to exploit dissatisfaction among conservatives with their 2008 choices.
He piled up a competitive 9.3 million dollars in fundraising in three months, and shows well in national polls and in key early voting states Iowa and South Carolina.
Another underdog, Representative Tom Tancredo, criticized candidates who backed trade with China — “a potential enemy.”
But Giuliani warned that America could not turn its back on free trade just because some commerce pacts were imperfect.
In the latest Iowa poll by the Des Moines Register, Thompson was on 18 percent, behind Romney on 29 percent but four points ahead of Giuliani.
Nationally, in a RealClearPolitics.com average of recent polls, Thompson is on 20 percent behind Giuliani on 28 percent, but well ahead of the rest of the pack.
In New Hampshire, which looks set to stage a major Republican showdown with its primary in early January, Thompson trails Romney, Giuliani and Senator John McCain.
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