WMUR-ABC Debate Weird Moment

I’ve got to say one of the most amusing moments in American politics was when ABC brought out the Democratic candidates to mingle with their Republican counterparts. Such fun! The only thing missing were the passed hors d’oeuvres. I kept looking for the cheese puffs and pigs in a blanket. What could Obama have been saying to Romney? It looked like Romney might turn to stone when approached by Hillary Clinton, although the other man from Hope, Mike Huckabee, seemed to greet her warmly. Poor Bill Richardson. The only one left for him to chat with was Ron Paul.

Romney’s Pugnacity

I’ve got to give Romney credit for fighting ferociously tonight. He’s smart, and he’s not giving an inch. There’s no question that Romney’s shifting positions over the years have hurt him in this race. But it’s interesting that he’s unafraid to hammer away at his foes. I suppose his thinking is that if he is going down, he’ll go down battling. 

WMUR-ABC Republican Debate

Thirty minutes into the Republican debate from St. Anselm College, I have the following observations:

• They all look tired. I am surprised by how fatigued Mitt Romney looks.

• The question on whether each candidate would follow President Bush’s foreign policy seemed to put the candidates on their heels. So did the use of video and sound from President Bush. The last things these guys want is to be lumped in with Bush.

• On the substance, I thought the responses of Giuliani, McCain, Thompson and Romney on the danger of terrorism were all solid. It was interesting to see Romney reach for some foreign policy substance by invoking specific Islamist clerics. Politically, however, Huckabee had the best comment, saying he’s “not running for George Bush’s third term.”

• Given the level of scrutiny on Huckabee’s past critiques of Bush’s foreign policy, I have to note that I was the first columnist to examine his statements in this area. I wrote: “Quick to personify nations while talking about international relations, at times he sounds like he is channeling a European member of the Green Party.”