The problem with a debate of this size is that you just don't get to hear as many answers as you'd like from the candidates you want to hear from. That said, here are tonight's winners and losers, in my most humble of opinions:
Winners:
Rudy Giuliani: Giuliani was forceful with his points and seems to be getting more comfortable. He walked the stage and looked like an attorney in a courtroom; confident, sure of his answers and convincing. He didn't get tripped up on the social issues and was on his game. He solidified his place as a front-runner by sounding conservative on national defense and taxation.
Duncan Hunter: Duncan Hunter suffers from the incurable disease of having zero charisma. He's a great candidate and knows policy better than anyone. He would make an excellent president. He was on in his answers and knows the immigration issue well because his district (my former home) in San Diego County is literally miles from the border. He also has a son serving in Afghanistan and who also served in Iraq, the war is real to him and he speaks with authority. That said, he still is a third-tier candidate because he is just not making a splash with the American people. He'd be an excellent Vice President. The international press and the New York Times will most-likely go ballistic that Hunter said he'd nuke Iran to prevent their having nukes themselves.
Losers:
John McCain: McCain had to be stellar today when discussing the immigration bill. He had to convince conservatives that this was a good bill. He failed miserably. As the old saying goes; you can put a dress and lipstick on a pig and it's still a pig. That's how it is with the immigration bill. McCain had but one issue to hammer home and he just couldn't do it. Besides that, the whole "my friends" thing is a bit irksome after the fiftieth time.
Ron Paul: Although the congressman from Texas has no shot at the nomination, he is a candidate and thus gets to talk at the debate. He's anti-war, anti-national defense and would be the single worst choice to lead our nation at this time. I would take Hillary Clinton over Paul at this time -- and anyone who reads my writing knows what I think of Hillary.
Mitt Romney: Romney, like McCain, had to have a strong performance and failed to. He's sinking in the polls and sits behind Fred Thompson -- a candidate not even in the race. He made good points but failed to nail them as much as he needed to. Romney is the anti-Duncan Hunter -- he looks presidential and has charisma but just doesn't convey his message well and sound too much like a politician.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 9)
31.
RON PAUL ROCKS!!!
Kelly at 1:20AM on Jun 6th 2007
32. WHO IS DECIDING WHO THE WINNERS AND LOSERS ARE???? I CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHO MADE THIS DECISION!!
RON PAUL '08
Kelly at 1:19AM on Jun 6th 2007
33. Ron Paul is the only true conservative in the debate. When we nation build and engage in pre-emptive strikes we have left our conservative values.
Ron Madson at 1:28AM on Jun 6th 2007
34. Debate? What debate? CNN had some boring event on with some idiots trying to shove immigration down our throats. They keep talking about 9-11 like it was the greatest day in American history. They keep trying to make the next Clinton wannabe and his wife acceptable to the general public by taking on Democratic qualities to hide the Republican greed and stench. Talk about slapping lipstick on a pig. What the heck are you trying to do Scott? Give your name so we can give you credit for the uninformed things you say. Rudy won this debate? I can't think of one good thing he said. Fred Thompson won by not being there.
Cecil Jones at 1:24AM on Jun 6th 2007
35. WINNER: Wow, that Ron Paul guy was so sensible. I definately can't vote for someone who is for nuking another country. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you....ie: leave them alone, let them live make their own decisions. When Jesus said love your enemies I think he meant don't kill them. If you be followers of that which is good who is it that will harm you? I thought Ron Paul did a great job even though they gave him the least time to talk.
LOSERS: I thought it was so hypocritical when many of the candidates talked about getting rid of oil dependance but using NUCLEAR power instead. These are the same people saying they would nuke another country! I think THEY (Giuliani, McCain, Romney, especially) should never be allowed to have nuclear weapons. And do they think we don't know what a huge money making business Uranium mining is right now? I think they are probably investors in Uranium mining companies that want to mine Uranium on YOUR LAND. These guys are the real nuts with a bomb. And as if we don't know that the real reason gas prices are so high is from inflation from all the money the congress keeps giving Bush for the war. THE ONLY THING THE WAR ON TERROR IS GOOD FOR IS LINING THEIR POCKETBOOKS.
Shalema at 1:34AM on Jun 6th 2007
36. I can`t understand why Ron Paul or anyone else never puts the facts about one candidate out for all to hear and ponder.
If certain questions are ask of Rudy,he would be out of the race in a heartbeat.
Jerry Alexander at 1:48AM on Jun 6th 2007
37. Dr. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate from either party who understands and honors the principles upon which this country was founded! The so-called "frontrunners" are particularly lacking in this regard.
A vote for ANY other candidate -- Republican or Democrat -- in this election is a vote against America.
Here's to *RESTORING OUR REPUBLIC*, and Here's to *LETTING FREEDOM RING!!!!!*
Stephanie at 1:48AM on Jun 6th 2007
38. RON PAUL...FOR PREZ MAKE America, America AGAIN!!!
FUJI at 2:01AM on Jun 6th 2007
39. Ron Paul is the only real candidate for REAL change.
This man has more fortitude and more honesty than the rest of Washington DC combined. He is a true conservative that can bring this country back from the path to it's demise. He is the only Pro-freedom, anti war cantidate in this election that will stand up to the military/industrial complex that rules us today. He would provide a common sense foreign policy that would bring our troops home from all over the world. He would end the phoney war on drugs, the Federal Reserve, and the Internal Revenue Service. This man can be a new founding father of the new America.
BEN KRAMER at 2:53AM on Jun 6th 2007
40. Ron Paul is anti-national offense. He wants to stop funding pre-emptive strikes on nations that are not involved in attacking the United States. He wants to defend our own borders, which remain wide open to illegal migration, drug trade, and who knows what else.
Remember, Iraq was not connected in any way to al-Qaeda, bin Laden or 9/11. None of the 9/11 hijackers were Iraqi. Iran is not connected to any attacks against America. None of the 9/11 hijackers were Irani. They do not support fighting against Americans in Iraq. If anything is making its way over the border from Iran, it is being smuggled by private criminals. It is not the Irani government's job to keep criminals in. It's the Iraqi government's job to keep them out. Meanwhile, U.S. and British troops have repeatedly crossed the border into Iran.
Irani government officials have not threatened any other nation in recent times. The closest they have come is suggesting that soon we will not see anymore of the Israeli government, a government as corrupt as the U.S. and any other government, which has been caught supporting terrorism and of course pre-emptively struck Lebanon and Palestine with unnecessary force which resulted in heavy civilian casualties.
There is nothing anti-defense about avoiding conflict. What is anti-national defense is starting conflicts, a practice which U.S. intelligence officials have cautioned is a significant contributor to terrorist motivations.
Think about it: Who are the targets of terrorism? Nations with aggressive militaristic foreign policies, the U.S., Israel and Britain.
Douglass at 7:17PM on Jun 6th 2007
41. Hillary? Why? I suppose one could be for her because of her clear corporatism; she's "in bed" with Rupert Murdoch and is bought by a lot of other very powerful people. I guess that could be a legitimate reason.
Gore-Obama?? Again, I ask why? For the same reason that the other writer supported Hillary? Yep, Gore's corporate credentials and allegiance to big money make him essentially no different from Hillary or from a corporate-bought Republican. They are both slick and duplicitous.
And, Obama, that's a pretty package. He claims to be anti-war and yet with the exception of the last vote when he waltzed in after the die was already cast and cast his dissenting vote on funding the extension of the war, he has voted pro-war on at 20 out of 20 other bills and has said that he would not take the use of nuclear weapons off the table in dealing with Iran. Don't know about you folks, but this closet hawk scares me. He also says that he doesn't take money from big contributors. This has been shown to be untrue--check it out on Google.
How is it possible that this nobody, Obama, suddenly became somebody and was selected to give the keynote address at the last Democratic convention? And, how did he raise 20+ million bucks within a very short time--a lot of small time donors. Tell me another funny story.
Our future as a nation should not be treated as a big Super Bowl game where you choose your team and call the other side idiots. We have to be serious and wake up. The future existence of our Republic and our Liberty are under attack. If you don't believe that is true, that's okay; just spend some time checking to see if your beliefs really are true or has someone already taken control of your autopilot, the computerized part of your mind that makes knee-jerk decisions. In my considered opinion, Ron Paul is the only candidate on either side who is not talking out of both sides of his mouth. He is the obvious winner on the AOL poll and on every other poll carried out online. AOL's ignoring him and CNN's marginalizing him is anti-democratic. The media are supposed to inform not disinform or propagandize or control the information presented.
BAHS at 2:55AM on Jun 6th 2007
42. There is not a lot I can add to this. Ron Paul is definatley a breath of fresh air and is by far the superior candidate. Several polls showed that he clearly won the debate and Don and Scott are definately in bed with Rudy. Rudy the drag queen, who sleeps with his cousin, and can't even beat the carpet bagger in his home state...how very presidential.
Pepe at 3:08AM on Jun 6th 2007
43. Mitt Romney still the best candidate the way he answer and handle questions.Sorry McCain but your Immigration bill will crucify your candidacy,as for the CNN hosting of the debate its onesided with more time with Giuliani.Look you CNN and your anti Romney crew you keep promoting Giuliani and McCain its doesn't do your station any good.These debates are getting bored and are not interesting because of favortism,Any smart person will agree that nothing important came out of this time wasting debate.
Penmedia at 3:16AM on Jun 6th 2007
44. AOL's biased commentary is not journalism. It does nothing, nada, to further the process of democracy through the dissemination of balanced information and through assisting people in making informed decisions. It is a farce that masks an obvious attempt to censor information and to impede the democratic process.
How can any legitimate news organization persist in denying the online phenomenon that Dr. Ron Paul has become. He is overwhelmingly favored by those millions of people who inhabit the cyberworld and rely on it for news and information that is freely and openly available to them. Maybe that is why China censors the Internet so much.
It should also be readily apparent from the overwhelmingly large proportion of comments in support of Dr. Paul that this is a revolution in the making, the second American revolution--The Ron Paul Revolution. To me, that should be big news!
Come on AOL Execute-ives, stop the farce, stop supporting those who want to execute a failed foreign policy and to continue to support the execution of innocents all across the Middle East--in Lebanon, in Palestine and in Iraq. Our policy and that of Israel are the co-conspirators in these mass executions.
I implore all conscientious objectors to this policy of censorship to stand up and make your voices heard. I am so disgusted that I am considering canceling my AOL membership of ten years.
I add my passionate voice to a multitude of voices across the nation and from around the world. We will no longer be deceived into believing that our views do not represent the majority opinion in this country. No longer will your tactic of separating people one from another work. Together, we will take back our country one person at a time.
I call on all reporters to refuse to report falsehoods and distortions and to participate in censorship.
You Elitists, who are seeking dominion over the people of the USA and ultimately the world, you cannot withstand the onslaught of the collective passion for liberty of we American Patriots. Your attempt to suppress and censor information about Ron Paul will ultimately fail, because this candidacy is no longer about Ron Paul.
All of the Patriots who are awakening are collectively becoming the candidate for President. The Ron Paul Revolution is the challenger for control of this country, and that control will inhere in Ron Paul but only symbolically because he represents the power of the people.
Know that affirm and support his definition of a strong leader and strong President. A strong President, Dr Paul says, is one who is strong enough not to assume powers that he or she shouldn't assume.
You see, we and our leader are RICH...richer than you will ever be, because we uphold:
R-eason
I-ntelligence
C-onstitution
H-umanity
Viva la Revolution...the beginning of a new Paulitics....Ron Paulitics!
BAHS at 3:43AM on Jun 6th 2007
45. Mitt Romney Won the debates cool under pressure and speak,act and react as a real presidential candidate.He is the CANDIDATE with REAL VISION for American Families and working individual throughout the country.Romneys Insurance Policy tonight is the best of all policies that were presented.He's an expert of this issue.His vision and plan for our military is excellent,Romney can see beyound 20 years and the important of stay on guard always.His answers were right on the topic and sure,not too long and boring like the other frontrunner spending too much time on one sentence.Some kind of joker if they get elected president.To most of us Mitt is the answer from above.
KaM at 3:49AM on Jun 6th 2007