Here we are for the First in the Fall Presidential Candidates Debate. Brit Hume is introducing the panel now. Stay tuned here for the live blog. Refresh the page periodically for updates...
- 10:40pm: Onto the homestead and to enjoy the rest of the evening at home. Debate wrap-up sometime tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!
- 10:38pm: This is a much better showing for McCain. "Fred!" should have been here. He hurt himself by skipping this event.
- 10:34pm: Everybody is trounding Hume's hypothetical question about Iran. What's so wrong about waiting and watching; trusting and verifying, Brit?
- 10:33pm: These guys are putting me to sleep now and...well...that's not a good sign.
- 10:29pm: Tom Tancredo is still awake and is making no sense on Iran. He's talking now about how political correctness is going to get us killed. Duncan Hunter doesn't think he can answer the question in 60 seconds and that's better than I thought because I don't think he can answer it at all.
- 10:26pm: The seemingly final round of questions is on Iran and what we should do. The first respondent is Congressman Ron Paul. Brit Hume immediately redirects him to "what do you do?" and Paul thinks we should back off. This man is a pure isolationist and isn't anything resembling a Conservative.
- 10:21pm: Hey...a question on Rudy's private life from someone in the restaurant. I lost the over/under on when this was going to happen.
- 10:19pm: If President Paul got rid of the CIA, then how would he know what our enemies foreign and domestic are up to? Best question of the night. Too bad the answer was unintelligible.
- 10:14pm: now Wallace is going after Romney again and how he raised fees and not taxes. Mitt goes on to say what he would do as president which all sounds pretty good---like eliminating the death tax and reducing capital gains.
- 10:13pm: Rudy is the other guy who hasn't taken the pledge and he says there's only one pledge a President needs to take: the one to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Almost a good answer, but it doesn't answer the question.
- 10:12pm: Brownback isn't sold on McCain's ducking the pledge and says that he should sign it. Ooh...that carries a lot of weight, huh?
- 10:10pm: Hey...we're in NH, so we must have an income tax question. McCain has not signed the pledge to not raise the income tax, but says that he's got a clear record of opposing tax increases. McCain is right that spending is out of control and that the GOP has ignored the Republican base. McCain still says he isn't signing the pledge and stands on his record.
- 10:09pm: Sam Brownback---you will NEVER be elected President. Ever. Not even of your local PTA. Why are you there?? Surely, you know you can't win.
- 10:03pm: Half the questions are asking other candidates what the guy before them just said. What the hell is this debate about??
- 10:02pm: Now it's onto torture and Tom Tancredo. I think he's parroting back the latest plot on 24 and not a plan on terror. Why is this guy HERE??
- 10:00pm: Get off the Global War on Terror already. Ask something different!
- 10:00pm: "It looks successful." Mitt is assuming success but, as he correctly points out, Petraeus hasn't submitted his report yet and neither has Ambassador Crocker.
- 9:58pm: Back to the restaurant and someone's upset with Mitt Romney for comparing his sons' efforts to get him elected to the sacrifices of our military and their families. I'm not sure what this question is going to accomplish, but...well...it's out there. Mitt immediately says that there is, obviously, no comparison.
- 9:56pm: Tancredo says that Iraq is a battlefield and I'm confused. Pat Benatar always said that love was a battlefield and...well...who doesn't believe Pat?
- 9:55pm: Now Duncan Hunter is causing my eyes to glaze over with all this surge talk. Tom Tancredo makes another guest appearance on the stage. He's the guy next likely to get out of the race once "Fred!" gets in.
- 9:51pm: Mike Huckabee clearly seems the most Presidential tonight. He's even toned and he's doing a very good job fielding questions. Ron Paul, on the other hand, looks like a crazy man. Huckabee just made Ron Paul look like a moron, which, isn't all that difficult to do.
- 9:47pm: Chris Wallace invites a near eruption by Paul supporters in the hall by asking Paul if he thinks we're taking marching orders from al Qaeda by getting out of the Iraqi region. I think Ron Paul is going to pop a blood vessel.
- 9:46pm: Ron Paul on the surge and how he's still against Iraq and how he would leave completely. Someone apparently let the Ron Paul supporters into the Whittemore Center because they're there in numbers. At least, that's how it sounds when he gets applause. Ron Paul seems very angry tonight and anything but Presidential.
- 9:45pm: John McCain apparently things the surge is working. He only said it three times in succession. That's amazing since Gen. Petraeus hasn't given his report yet.
- 9:42pm: Now we're on to the Iraq surge. More predictable questions.
- 9:40pm: McCain went on about himself on a question about Giuliani's ability to lead vis a vis national security experience.
- 9:39pm: Why was there an intermission? They didn't change formats and this is a news event. Also, I'm bummed to not have seen the "Fred!" ad, as hyped, during the break.
- 9:37pm: INTERMISSION. Finally.
- 9:35: Back on the Irrelevant Express, Sam Brownback is now talking about why marriage should be between a man and a woman.
- 9:33pm: I think Ron Paul just said that 9/11 wouldn't have happened if people could bring guns on planes. What the HELL!?!? This guy is a WHACK-JOB! Do you hear me all you Paulites?? A TOTAL WHACK-JOB.
- 9:32pm: Oh, hey....Ron Paul is speaking. Let me do something important now like order another Bass from my friendly neighborhood bartender.
- 9:30pm: Now it's Boston vs. New York, this time with crime stats. Rudy's hammering Boston. Will he ever learn?
- 9:29pm: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....wake me up when the abortion discussion is over, will you?
- 9:28pm: Hey, look...an abortion question. Big. Shock.
- 9:25pm: We're on to family values now and Larry Craig. I'm a little surprised at the line of questions from FOX News in this debate. I'd like to see something new and different and not the same also-ran questions.
- 9:24pm: I just had some semi-drunk guy come up and ask me who was in this debate and if Mitt spoke yet. Highlight of the evening, if you ask me.
- 9:22pm: McCain says that amnesty is forgiveness. Well, if we're giving people instant citizenship with the stroke of a pen, how is that not amnesty??
- 9:20pm: I lost total interest with the diner question and I'm not even sure that Rudy is even coming close to answering the damned thing.
- 9:17pm: Carl Cameron is taking questions at the restaurant he's at down the street. Interesting concept. We're still on illegal immigration and I'm waiting for a question in this interview with one of the diners.
- 9:16pm: Hey! It's a Tom Tancredo sighting. I'm sure there won't be too many more of those tonight. Same with Brownback. Wow...is Tancredo angry.
- 9:15pm: Wow...Huckabee sounds like he gets it on immigration. His 2nd great line of the night is that FedEx and UPS can track packages better than we can track illegal aliens. He's on fire.
- 9:14pm: McCain says that his immigration bill failed because the American people lost faith in the Government. Uh...no. The bill failed because it was a piece of crap and the American people were against it, John. Come back to reality.
- 9:13pm: Greaaaaaaaat. McCain gets an immigration question and is asked to defend his slam of Mitt Romney and explain why now he supports securing the border.
- 9:11pm: Chris Wallace brings Giuliani's words back to him and, Giuliani says that Wallace didn't quote the whole scope of the executive order. What a shock.
- 9:10pm: Romney gets a smarmy question on illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. Mitt gives a great answer with regard to the responsibility of city government and state government. Rudy will certainly come back and deny sanctuary city classification for NYC.
- 9:09pm: Rudy scores points early with the "none of which have run a city, state or business." Nice line. It may be his only one of the evening.
- 9:05pm: Yeah, yeah, yeah...Thompson, Schompson. Get on to the issues already.
- 9:04pm: The first question is about Fred Thompson. You have GOT to be kidding me. Huckabee gets the first softball of the evening and makes an immediate comparison to George Jones. Nice.
- 9:03pm: Rudy Giuliani looks like he just had veneers put on his teeth. I'm not sure I've ever seen him smile. Like...ever...
- 9:02pm: Carl Cameron looks like he's in hell at that restaurant in Durham.
