Wednesday, September 05, 2007

HORSERACE

The New Hampshire Republican Debate Wrapup

The Medal Winners:

 

Gold: Rudy. The guy’s unflappable. He manages to hit his preferred catchphrases and points (“liberal media” “the terrorists’ war on us” “Islamic terrorism”) in a smooth way. Properly complimentary of his rivals, handled the personal life question well. After that rough first debate, he’s really found his groove.

 

Silver: Huckabee. His back-and-forth with Ron Paul was one of the few genuine moments of drama and passion in these debates, one of the few we’ll remember in a week or two. I’m still cranky about his stance on a national ban on smoking in public places in the U.S., and he may have offered one too many folksy aphorism or metaphor, but the guy overall shines in every question. He’s got the charisma.

 

Bronze: McCain. Solid. He’s the best on Iraq. Still not great on immigration, but when he gets started on his big issues – pork, Petraeus, Iran – he’s on his game. This guy’s not out of the first tier, and while he still needs help, it’s not unthinkable that he could end up being the default candidate, the one everybody can agree on. If you think Iraq is going to be the dominant issue in the 2008 election, Republicans might as well go for broke and go with the candidate with the universally-applauded honor...

 

The Rest of the Pack:

 

Romney: It wasn’t just me – his answers on Iraq just seemed a little off, not his strongest performance. (Was it just me or did he just look bad? Bad makeup, bad lighting or is he fighting a cold or something?) As they noted in the Corner, stronger on domestic than the Iraq stuff, but he’s had better nights. This night won’t hurt him that much, but he’s had a good run lately, so maybe he was due for an off night.

 

Ron Paul: I know, I whack him around like a piñata, but this was his most lively and interesting debate. It’s like watching Republican candidates interacting with a moonbat, and finally, he’s found a role to play in this debate.

 

Duncan Hunter nearly avoids being in the final category, but come on, Congressman. You’re not going anywhere. This ain’t the preseason anymore. Everybody watching respects you, but if you were gonna catch fire, it would have happened by now.

 

Get off the stage:

Brownback: Boredom personified in a lavender tie.

Tancredo: Somehow, an eyeball-popping, jumpy, loud, jittery 1970s sitcom character has somehow wandered into the national political scene.

 

Was Fred hurt by not being here? We’ll know better after the Morgan State debate later this month. If Fred’s a great debater, he ought to have gotten in as soon as possible. If he’s not that great a debater… eh, he probably is better introducing himself as a candidate to Jay Leno’s 5.6 million viewers.

09/05 10:42 PMShare