In fact, here it is on YouTube already.
As for the rest of the debate, and the participants thereof, I agree completely with fellow 'Stump' blogger David Knowles that the format and the moderators were much better. No punches were pulled with the questions.
John McCain: Did better than last time, and seemed a little calmer. No "gates of hell" type references this time. But he did claim to have never supported amnesty, which has a lot of us scratching our heads, remembering an immigration bill with his name on it last year. And the other sponsor was Kennedy. A point other debaters didn't fail to bring up.
Mitt Romney: His slickness didn't come off as well this time. Probably because Rudy and John did better. Didn't hurt himself, but didn't help either. He's stuck near 10% and he needs to break out. I saw nothing here that will help him do that.
Rudy: Much, much better, approaching the type of confidence in these forums that he usually has but did not display in the last debate. Got the best line of the evening in the aforementioned smackdown. Still, when the dust settles, his answers on abortion amounted to I support it, but want to reduce it. Which amounts to the "safe, legal, and rare" rhetoric of all Democrats. Not good, Rudy still has a huge abortion problem that he did not have in March.
The rest: While most did not distinguish themselves very well. Ron Paul is extremely whiny and hard to listen to. Comes off as a hard core libertarian, which I like, but will give hard core libertarianism a bad name, which I don't like. Mike Huckabee got the Edwards line off well with a great response, good for a second tier candidate and everyone will connect that with him, which is PR gold.
But the poll on Instapundit indicates that most of us are waiting for Fred.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 4)
31. Now only if the Scardycrats have the nerve to face a FOX news panel in a debate. They canceled the FOX debate with the Congressional Black Caucus to add something new to their talking points. After the FOX debate it is clear that the Republicans can answer tough but fair questions what about the Democrats. It is time to reschedule the debate.
Rick at 12:40PM on May 16th 2007
32. Rudy is an ignorant lick who doesn't have a clue about security. YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!
JUDY at 12:44PM on May 16th 2007
33. Guiliani'a comment that "Republicans need to unite, to defeat Democrats", IS the problem with the frontrunners from both parties. More attention being given to party victory than the issues we want solved. Thumbs down to Guiliani. Party victory comes a distant second to what is good for the country in his book. He's a bad choice for president. Too bad the money that runs the media will squash good candidates like Ron Paul in favor of this puppet.
N J at 12:53PM on May 16th 2007
34. For all you partisan sheep that are so wrapped up in your liberal, conservative bashing you need to wake up the the fact that you're being guided by a biased media and political party. I'm democrat and Paul is my clear choice at this time. People that post things saying Paul is more like a democrat than Republican and they he wouldn't get their vote are the sheep that would vote for the media's choice for a candidate, or the parties choice rather than voting with a clear desicion based on a candidates desire to make America a better place to live and work, and solve the problems that a majority of the people are SICK OF. Pitiful.
N J at 1:12PM on May 16th 2007
35. RUDY IS A JOKE!
JUDY at 1:32PM on May 16th 2007
36. I, too, have noticed the bias of AOL on many news articles as well as coverage of the presidential candidates.
Teddi at 2:24PM on May 16th 2007
37. They will not show his response, because it actually makes sense. All the corporate owned media wants to do is play on peoples' emotions and not their intellect. We do have them running scared, because they realize the sleeping giant is waking up. America, if you want truth and real freedom, vote Ron Paul. Ron won both debates, all of the media double talk and fluff in the world won't stop him from winning.
Anthony at 2:26PM on May 16th 2007
38. I am not a supporter of Ron Paul in this race, but thank him for his comment. He has extracted a confession from Rudi Giuliani that he has such little interest in what actually occured to the city of which he was then mayor, that he wasn't even aware of the recognition of many Americans that this attack, however misguided and criminal, was in retalliation for over a decade of terrorist attacks on a far larger scale by Pentagon forces. These were mostly cowardly attacks on civilian facilities such as an aspirin factory (under the Clintons, of my party!) that resulted in over a million deaths and millions displaced.
Rudi, if you are going to lie to us so baldfacedly for a cheap slap at a candidate who is not a threat to your candidacy (unless YOU cause it him to be), how can you expect us to believe anything you say when you are under real pressure?
Please rethink this and issue a apology not just to Ron Paul, but to the American people whose intelligence you've so insulted!
Zev Aelony
VeganWolf.blogspot.com
Zev Aelony at 2:27PM on May 16th 2007
39. Where is the Congressman's response?
Teddi at 2:30PM on May 16th 2007
40. MITT ROMNEY IS THE WINNER ! ~ ONCE AGAIN !
Mitt Romney came across as the most decisive in his comments and demeanor. He did not mince words in dealing with interrogation, immigration, and the clear defining and spearheading of the Jihadist threat.
He responds to all topics with directness and clarity, and is well versed on the intricacies of the issues without engaging in pat broader swept replies in answer to the questions or those orchestrated to garner applause. He expresses himself with great spiritedness and energy that is refreshing and infectious.
And in speaking of the highlights of this debate, let us spotlight Mitt Romney's brave and unprovoked comment on GITMO, which trumps the Rudy comment that could have been uttered by any one of the candidates given the fair opportunity.
Mitt Romney seems raring to go with ideas and the decisive aim and courage to achieve the goal.
Mitt Romney has guts and an independent vision that fortifies the Presidential stature that is innately his. He more than fulfills the requirements of a formidable GOP nominee in 2008.
I would look forward to voting for him.
Maria Rose at 2:59PM on May 16th 2007
41. Fun debate. Paul is a whiny, jackass. He thinks Muslims hate us because we have bases in the middle east? Muslims hate us because we are a predominantly Christian nation and Mohammed told them to hate and kill all Christians and Jews. It has been the same story for thousands of years now. How long until simpering idiots like Paul get it through their heads?
wiseone1w at 3:25PM on May 16th 2007
42. If you want to know the truth play "Yo Momma" with your competition. John Edwards is so pretty, all the Republicans are attacking him. The gap between poverty and prosperity is growning faster than Hillary's hips. Anyone that still believes race doesn't matter tell them to "Ask Obama and the Secret Service." Who won the Republican debate-Ron Paul. He made news and help Rudy. Hucklebee got "Willie Hortoned." McCain's torture looks to be coming out at the wrong time. Romney flip-flops more than Kerry. Rudy ran New York and he led us through 9-11 and Diallo. The other also rans can't break the ice because the Party is so cold it scares us all. How bad is it for Republicans? Immigration reform is a simple issue and they are blowing it too. Find the friendlies, ship them to the border and build new border cities and a fence, and then unleash the full power of America on those that didn't come forward. Don't mess with Texas? Don't tread on me; America must respect our laws to be free. Democrats won that election because Republicans don't have the "stones" to put America first!
Cecil Jones at 3:34PM on May 16th 2007
43. No doubt most of the commenters here are left wingnuts. You people don't get it. Islam has been at war with the United States since before Jimmy Carter, we have only just begun to fight back. They hate us because their prophet told them to hate and kill all Christians and Jews and the U.S. is a predominantly Christian nation and is really the only one with the power to stand against the insanity of Islam. Paul is a simpering idiot.
Although Tancredo is not electable, he is neither polished nor persuasive, I think he is right on most of his positions. Fundamental Islam is about using hate and violence for political and monetary gain. Mohammed preyed on and eventually murdered his own tribe / clan for power and wealth. We must see Islam for what it is to protect ourselves for it. Islam is not striking back, we are. Paul should be ashamed of himself for blaming us for 9-11.
wiseone1w at 3:35PM on May 16th 2007
44. Wow, it looks like its going to be a landslide victory for Ron Paul to be the Republican Nomination.
All I can say is that the Dems must be really frightened at the thought of Giuliani getting the nomination and denying Hillary her birthright of being elected President. To be loading up this blog with how Ron Paul won the debate.
Ron Paul is a clueless isolationist, that doesn't grasp whom we are fighting. If you look at all the flash points in the world, you will find that radical Islam is involved in most of them. Bosnia, Kosovo, Kashmir, Darfur, Chechnya, Palestine, Lebanon, Philippines, Southeast Asia and the list goes on.
It is about time we stopped pretending that if only we left them alone, they would leave us alone or trying to fight a war in a Politically Correct manner. Read Thomas Jefferson’s account of fighting Radical Islam when he was President, no matter what we do they are never going to love us: we are infidels. Our problem is that they no longer fear us. That needs to change. It is time to go Roman, it takes 14 years to grow a terrorist. It only takes 14 seconds to kill one! If they can’t wait to see Allah, we should help them.
Joe at 3:48PM on May 16th 2007
45. Wiseone (#s44 & 46),
You fixate on Jerry Falwell-type attacks on Moslems, Jews, African Americans, Latinos, Catholics, etc. I am a Jew (and contrary to Falwell, not the antiChrist), not a Moslem, but I have read (in translation) enough of the Koran to know that reading the Koran is like reading the Torah or the Christian Gospels. Much depends on which passage is quoted, its context, and who translated it.
Please take a closer look. One thing that is clear is that in passages attributed directly to Mohammed, he says some things similar to things our military leaders say in context of war, but outside of that is a strong advocate of live and let live at least among 'peoples of the book' of whom at least Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are specified. Mohammed specifically forbids persecution of these people (though permitting some discriminatory taxation).
Furthermore, until Euro-US invasions and colonization of the area with forced or coerced conversions, for a thousand years religious refugees found secure refuge in Moslem lands while allegedly Christian crusaders ran roughshod with mass killings and torture of any even suspected of 'heresy'!
What is more, the deaths of some 2 to 4 million civilians at the hands of Anglo-American terrorist soldiers over the past decade and a half, as well as the second class status of Moslems in the West, even when as doctors, teachers, scientists and businessmen, they follow all the rules would rile me, too. It did my Dad when he had to overcome the entrenched and often legally enforced 'restrictions' on Jews before WWII and our own struggles made us acceptable to most Americans. It does rile me in the Bush client states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and others where the Bush investment groups use a form of Islam as distorted as 'Moral Majority" 'Christianity', and the militasrist versions of Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Marxism, Shintoism, etc....
Zev Aelony
VeganWolf.blogspot.com
Zev Aelony at 7:07PM on May 16th 2007