Anybody watch this one? Yeah, me neither; it was Saturday for crying out loud! However, I've caught most of the highlights and have since gone back and watched a good portion of it. As with the last debate that specifically focused on a particular topic (the economy), this one resembled the same, focusing solely on foreign policy. I seldom agree with any of the pundits, but this time I'll let'em have one: the strong suit goes to Gengrich and Romney (experienced and learned, respectively); however, even those with less foreign policy knowledge, like Cain and Perry, held their own. Almost all the candidates made this one about the failed policies of Obama (I use 'almost' to differentiate Ron Paul's limited rants on American isolationism, as well as referring to a practice that's subjected to our military members as 'torture' when used as an interrogation tool against terrorists).
The evening kicked off with Iran and the bomb
Pakistan: Friend or Foe?
Perry: All countries start at zero foreign aid
Bachmann on increasing military spending
Cain on dealing with the Arab Spring
Full debate can be viewed here.
This morning, Rush pointed out this memorable moment between Newt and the all too familiar combative liberal moderator...
Scott Pelley at this debate Saturday night was amazing to watch. This is the anchor of the CBS Evening News, and he thought he had Newt Gingrich twisted in circles over foreign policy. At one point, Pelley got this contorted, smug, all full-of-himself smile on his face while he could not have been more wrong about something. Newt slapped him down and put him in his place, but Pelley to this moment doesn't know that that's what happened!
But with Big Media, most of whom I'm uncertain even realize anymore just how blatantly biased they are (e.g., like this guy, or a major news outlet pulling this crap), it's not surprising that they'd be so misguided. Nonetheless, debate performances like these, I'm certain, give rise to Gengrich's poll numbers.
However, I can't complete this post without making one noticable observation. If Gengrich becomes the anti-Romney candidate, then the political establishment on the Right certainly has nothing to fear of its status-quo future. My biggest fear is that with nominees like either, the acceleration of statism carried out by our current president will only be shifted into a lower gear, and not ratched down & fully reversed. America's economy can't withstand that, and perhaps that's why it supercedes hypotheticals on foreign policy in the coming election.
