Just to get my biases out on the table again: I am a Democrat who supports Bill Richardson at this early juncture. The chances of me voting for one of these guys is very slim, but I'll be watching just the same.
And now live from the Reagan Library, it's Chris Matthews...
- Tommy Thompson got the first "good grief" from Michelle as the most odd looking candidate.
- Rudy Giuliani tosses in a "Shining City on a Hill"
- John McCain thinks the war is on the right track, terrorists "will follow us home." Democrats are for surrender.
- Thompson says we should get out if the Maliki government asks us to. He also is apparently for federalism. He thinks the civil was will end if they split into the 18 United States of Iraq. Seems naive.
- Mitt Romney gives Reagan a big smooch. We need to stay in Iraq now so we don't have to go back.
- Sam Brownback suggests we're partnering with a number of moderate Muslim regimes. Mentions Egypt and Pakistan. Matthews wants to know why the people in those countries don't like us. Just five minutes in, he's already doing a much better job than Brian Williams.
- Men with suits and silk ties vs. soldiers with mud and blood on his boots. Nice visual by Mike Huckabee. I'll bet he uses that one in each of his speeches.
- Jim Gilmore with another Reagan smooch.
- Ron Paul wants "non-intervention." You know, he could have hammered the rest of these guys. He ended up giving a good answer about historical reasons for non-intervention.
- McCain can't be excited about having Fred Thompson mentioned as the context for his question. He refuses to answer the question of whether or not Iran has committed acts of war.
- Looks like Tom Tancredo doesn't want this question. Something about the 12th Imam and bombs, no answer to the question. Boy he doesn't sound like he has the first idea what he'd do here. Maybe he'll just build a fence to keep the bad people out.
- McCain claims that Iran was so scared of Reagan, they released the hostages two minutes after he was inaugurated. What a crock of baloney. The Iranians had decided to release the hostages before he was released, they held them until the inauguration to stick it to Carter. (Fourth smooch of the night).
- Romney getting a question about his Osama faux pas last week.
- McCain says he will follow Osama to the Gates of hell. Many of us agree.
- Amend the constitution to allow foreign-born Americans Romney no, Brownback no, Huckabee no, Gilmore yes, Duncan Hunter no, Thompson, no, McCain maybe (only if he endorses me, probably his most honest answer of the night!), Paul no (Chris Matthews: "Oh God!"), Giuliani yes, Tancredo no.
- Romney can't come up with one thing he doesn't like about America? And another Reagan smooch. What a gasbag!
- Just tell us if you think global warming exists or not. The rest about being good stewards, etc. is a good answer.
- Does Tancredo have a plan to address shortage of organs? Weird question. Tancredo again has no idea what he's talking about.
- Duncan Hunter is a compassionate conservative who wants to show it by bombing people on the other side of the world.
- Roe v. Wade repealed good or bad: Giuliani: OK either way, ugh! Take a side, man!
- Gilmore says he supports abortion during first trimester, with limits. Good for him for not fudging.
- Thompson against Roe v. Wade because he wants to leave it up to the states, not to dump it altogether.
- Romney says he changed his mind because of cloning. Another Reagan smooch. Is it a flip-flop? Filibustering.
- Brownback with another Reagan smooch, would be able to support a pro-choicer if a Republican.
- Giuliani trying not to say he favors funding of abortions. Matthews has to go back at him three times before he stammers out an actual position. This is a perfect example of why Matthews is so much better at this that Brian Williams was with the Dems. He doesn't let them weasel out of many questions.
- McCain with what sounds like a closing statement. "I don't want to be president of a sad nation..." John McCain. He'll turn that frown upside down.
- What the...? Huckabee compares hikers stranded on a mountain with adolescent suicide bombers. Says the "culture of life" is what separates us from the Muslims. OK, sparky.
- Thompson thinks businesses should be able to fire homosexuals. Ooooh -boy.
- Romney: we don't choose a leader based on which church they go to. At least that's what you are hoping for. He's wearing a shirt with cuff links. That's always bugged me. I don't know, but I think I'm more comfortable with people who wear shirts whit button cuffs.
- Brownback: "Senator Lieberman, a Jew..."
- Duncan Hunter: "I built that fence." One board at a time, I'm sure.
- Jim Gilmore doesn't want to talk about Karl Rove. I don't blame him.
- Giuliani is going along to get along. He says he thinks the rise of the religious right has been good for the party. He doesn't think that, he's lying.
- Looks like Matthews has thrown his hands up and said "the hell with this." Tells Thompson to talk about whatever he wants.
- Tommy Thompson: "I'm a reliable conservative, I've vetoed 1900 things." I guess that says it all. Vote for me because I'm against everything. Another Reagan smooch! A big one.
- If I follow Brownback correctly, the best way to address the political scandals of the last six years is to cut the number of children born out of wedlock and clean up the language on records. Huh, didn't know Abramoff, Foley, and Cunningham were gangsta' rap-listening bastards...
- Another Reagan smooch by Tancredo. Has anyone said a centrist is necessary to win? I haven't heard anyone say anything about centrists? What station is he watching?
- McCain needs to stop pointing and pounding his lectern. I don't know who told him he needed to be gruff in order to look like a leader. He is coming across as an angry old man. A Reagan smooch.
- And another wet kiss from McCain. His first cut will be to defense. Huh?
- Too early to give the president a grade on Iraq? What have you been watching the last four years, Huck.
- Thompson smooches Reagan while evading a question on race.
- Tom Tancredo, who else should be the nominee if it's not you? Ronald Reagan! (just kidding.)
- Duncan Hunter didn't watch "An Inconvenient Truth" and he wouldn't admit it even if he did.
- Ron Paul, awakened from his nap, can't come up with a critical decision he's ever made.
- Jim Gilmore's answer to mothers in prison who leave kids behind is "we need to uphold the law" or some such pablum. Please, just a little nuanced thinking would be appropriate, unless you think most Republican primary voters are moronic automatons (don't answer that).
- Stem Cell research: mushy answer from Romney. Brownback, no. Gilmore, no. Huck, no. Hunter, no. Thompson, mushy. McCain, yes, and an unrelated smooch to Mrs. Reagan. Paul, no, because it's not constitutional. Giuliani, Yes. Tancredo, no.
- Romney defending the Mass. health-care plan. He's repeating himself. Market, market, market. Now he wants to cut capital gains taxes to zero. I'll bet he does.
- The problem with McCain's plan to give a $3,000 tax credit for people to buy health insurance is that it would essentially be a huge government giveaway to big insurance companies.
- Duncan Hunter isn't as clever as he thinks he is. The best thing about the government is the ability to bomb al Zarqawi. Har Har.
- Giuliani is hoping that he's correct about the difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims. He doesn't look like he's sure.
- Gilmore with a Reagan smooch.
- Giuliani refuses to come up with a weakness. I don't think that flies with people. We don't expect our candidates to grovel at our feet, but be honest. We can all tell you what your weaknesses are, can't you see them yourself?
- A national ID card, another bad idea. Hey, something I agree with Tancredo on.
- Mitt Romney with a "Gang of Three" reference, Clinton, Pelosi and Reid. There's a blast from the past. He ran against a "Gang of Three" in 2002 when he was running for governor. I believe it was Tom Finneran, Shannon O'Brien, and Robert Travaligni.
- Duncan Hunter with a Reagan smooch in reference to Schiavo.
- Ron Paul ends by saying he'll "never abuse habeas corpus." Now there's something I can get behind.
Tags: Election 2008 Republican Primary Mitt Romney Sam Brownback Mike Huckabee Jim Gilmore Tommy Thompson Duncan Hunter Ron Paul John McCain Tom Tancredo Rudy Giuliani
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