February 13, 2008

Hey, D.C.: It's Called 'Salt'

UPDATED.

District residents dread winter more than most Northeasterners -- not because it's particularly cold here, but because this city is comically helpless when confronted with flurries and ice. Now that the Beltway's inability to cope with treacherous winter weather has nearly felled America's secretary of defense, will the D.C. government get on this problem already?

That's right: The latest victim of D.C.'s saltless and unshoveled streets is former CIA Director and current SecDef Robert Gates, who slipped on an icy surface and fractured his shoulder last night. As many Beltway residents know, freezing rain quickly coated the region's streets and sidewalks yesterday evening, making walking and driving in this city more treacherous than usual. Maryland extended its polling hours in yesterday's Potomac Drainage Basin Primary because so many voters were taking their sweet time on the deadly roads.

Continue reading "Hey, D.C.: It's Called 'Salt'"

Posted at 12:34 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Robert Gates, Rudy Giuliani
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February 12, 2008

WH '08: The Hurry-Up Primary Campaign

In homage to the great sportswriter (and Brookings Institution egghead) Gregg Easterbrook, we're dubbing today's spate of regional votes the Potomac Drainage Basin Primary. (It's no worse than any of the other nicknames we've seen.)

So in case you missed it, there's a primary vote happening today in Virginia, Maryland and right here in the District. Barack Obama's going to sweep those votes, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is going to keep losing contests until March 4's Ohio and Texas primaries, which she might also lose. Wow, those are a long way away. She's a goner.

And... scene.

So goes our cheeky ribbing of the media speculation-a-thon regarding today's primaries, which according to MSM bylaws a) must have a cutesy nickname (Chesapeake or Crab Cake?) and b) must be predictive of the nomination winner and, while we're at it, the winner of the November general election vote.

Continue reading "WH '08: The Hurry-Up Primary Campaign"

Posted at 6:10 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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February 07, 2008

Romney Ends White House Bid 'For Country, Party'

Speaking before a roomful of conservative activists in Washington, Mitt Romney drew his presidential campaign to a close.

"This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose," Romney said before an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference. "If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country."

Romney was announcing the suspension of his campaign -- a technical term that allows him to keep raising funds -- two days after a deeply disappointing performance on Super Tuesday. John McCain has won 13 of the states that have held primaries or caucuses so far, and Romney is close behind with 11. But McCain's wins in big-prize states like California on Tuesday gave him a nearly insurmountable delegate-count lead. With Mike Huckabee strongly defending his turf in the South, it became impossible on Wednesday morning to see how Romney could overtake the Arizona senator.

"I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden and on eliminating al-Qaida and terror," Romney said. "If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator [Hillary Rodham] Clinton or [Barack] Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."

The crowd let its disappointment be known, booing Romney's decision to bow out and pleading with him to hang on. But the politically tuned-in CPAC attendees know better than anyone that their guy has virtually no shot at the Republican nomination.

McCain skipped the conference last year because he had no support there. He's scheduled to speak at 3 p.m. today, and now that Romney's out, will ride in as the Republican nominee. We got a preview of how he'll be received, courtesy of talk-radio host Laura Ingraham.

Continue reading "Romney Ends White House Bid 'For Country, Party'"

Posted at 1:32 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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February 05, 2008

First Winner Of The Day!

UPDATED.

Mike Huckabee became Super Tuesday's first winner after cleaning up West Virginia's 18 delegates in that state's close GOP nominating convention. The sniping has already started over the legitimacy of Huckabee's win.

Mitt Romney's campaign reacted to his loss by lashing out at main rival John McCain, accusing him of colluding with Huckabee at the convention.

"Unfortunately, this is what Senator McCain's inside Washington ways look like: he cut a backroom deal with the tax-and-spend candidate he thought could best stop Governor Romney's campaign of conservative change," said campaign manager Beth Myers.

Continue reading "First Winner Of The Day!"

Posted at 4:31 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 30, 2008

McCain Wins Giuliani Nod, Puts Entire Field On Notice

UPDATED.

"I made it clear at different times in this campaign that if I had not decided to run -- I believe I even said it at a debate -- the only person in the country that I clearly would've supported for the president of the United States would be John McCain. And that came from the heart.

"Today, I'm officially announcing my withdrawal as a candidate for president of the United States."

And with that, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani closed the chapter on his own presidential aspirations and opened a new one in this rollercoaster ride of an election cycle. McCain's victory in the Florida Republican primary yesterday was already validation that he's now the GOP front-runner. Giuliani's decision to ally himself with McCain today sent a strong message to the challengers in both fields: This election will once again center on security and defense.

"It will be a clear choice this November, and I believe that my life has prepared me. A life of service, and a life of dedication to lead this nation and the transcendent challenge of the 21st century: the great threat and evil of radical Islam," McCain said, accepting Giuliani's endorsement.

The person who should fear McCain's ascendancy most immediately is Mitt Romney, who's been pushed out of the headlines as the nation digests McCain's comeback, unthinkable just months ago. McCain not only has a delegates-count advantage going into next week's Super Tuesday contests, he also has a wide margin over Romney in national polling, which at this late date can be considered a fairly reliable indicator of how the big-prize states will vote.

Continue reading "McCain Wins Giuliani Nod, Puts Entire Field On Notice"

Posted at 7:04 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 29, 2008

McCain Edges Romney In Florida; Giuliani Bowing Out

UPDATED.

John McCain edged out rival Mitt Romney to win the Republican primary in Florida, sealing his comeback status as the front-runner in this race.

"Our victory might not have reached landslide proportions, but it is sweet nonetheless," McCain said, as supporters cheered an increasingly familiar refrain, "Mac is back! Mac is back!"

"To everyone who in good times and bad devoted much time and energy and hope to keeping our candidacy competitive: Thank you from the bottom of my heart," McCain said, in reference to his astonishing revival after being left for dead last summer when his campaign operation imploded.

These numbers will be confirmed tomorrow, but McCain bested Romney by about 36 percent to 31 percent. Rudy Giuliani won 15 percent of the registered-Republicans-only vote, followed by Mike Huckabee 2 points behind. The exit polling data show some surprising alliances. Latinos overwhelmingly went to McCain, even though Romney was up with Spanish-language ads in Florida nearly a year ago. McCain also bested Romney among voters middle-aged and older. The two fared about equally among middle-income voters, with Romney gaining an edge in the $100,000-$199,990 bracket. But McCain won over Republicans earning $200,000 or more, 44 percent to 30 percent.

With Super Tuesday just a week away, McCain heads into that 24-state competition the delegate-count winner, with Romney his chief rival and Huckabee the wild card.

Meanwhile, without actually saying he was dropping out, Giuliani all but drew his campaign to a close in his concession speech tonight. He said he was "proud" of his campaign for keeping things positive -- he never really went after anyone except Romney and Ron Paul -- and nodded to his improbable candidacy and improbable strategy.

Continue reading "McCain Edges Romney In Florida; Giuliani Bowing Out"

Posted at 11:17 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Who Let The Dogs Out? Who? Who Who?

When he's not freestyle rapping, Mitt Romney also enjoys running for president of the United States. Tonight, we will find out if the Republican voters of Florida will crown him the candidate to beat going into next Tuesday, or if his chief rival in this state, John McCain, definitively becomes 2008's Comeback Kid.

We kid the former Massachusetts governor, of course, who is poised to win the Florida primary today and put to rest doubts that he can sweep enough Super Tuesday delegates to carry him to the nomination. He shot for and missed winning the nod in the supposedly crucial (but probably not so much anymore) states of Iowa and New Hampshire, which prompted a bunch of fortune tellers to write his WH '08 obit. But Romney doesn't have the best ground game and organization in this field for nothing. Polls put [PDF] him in a dead heat for first with McCain, which could effectively make Feb. 5 a two-man contest.

That is, if potential spoiler Rudy Giuliani doesn't beat expectations. The former NYC mayor is promising he will deliver in spite of the polling numbers. He's crossing his fingers that a lot of the absentee balloting went his way, though it's not clear that would make a difference, our colleagues at Pollster.com say.

Continue reading "Who Let The Dogs Out? Who? Who Who?"

Posted at 5:43 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 25, 2008

WH '08: Everyone's Being So Nice! (For Now.)

Hey, you guys! It's so super to see you! No matter what happens in Florida on Tuesday, let's promise to always be friends. I am so serious!!!

Ahem.

The Republican candidates debate last night was mind-bogglingly polite -- proof that in politics, anything really is possible. Gone were the condescending swipes at Mitt Romney that dominated the previous GOP debate earlier this month. Romney, in kind, held his fire, and so for once we had a forum that was dominated by issues.

We heard some interesting ideas from the candidates on how to jump-start the economy. Mike Huckabee, for instance, made a pretty good point when he said that the rebate checks millions of Americans will receive as part of a congressional stimulus package will likely go to goods made elsewhere, which does nothing to address the dying manufacturing sector here at home.

"And frankly, in talking about the stimulus package, one of the concerns that I have is that we'll probably end up borrowing this $150 billion from the Chinese. And when we get those rebate checks, most people are going to go out and buy stuff that's been imported from China. I have to wonder whose economy is going to be stimulated the most by the package," the former Arkansas governor said.

You won't hear talk like that on the Democratic side, where it's anathema to question the soundness of cutting those checks even though economists doubt they are actually stimulative.

Yesterday's debate also saw the return of the Iraq war as a campaign issue. Romney in particular foreshadowed the general-election argument to come on this topic: "We cannot turn Iraq over to al-Qaida and have al-Qaida have a safe haven from which they could recruit people to carry out bombings, to attack this country and our friends around the world. It's unthinkable. And that's why I will not walk away from Iraq until we have been successful and finish that job."

Where there were policy differences, the candidates managed to lay out their arguments without elbowing the others along the way. We saw what looked to be genuine camaraderie between Romney and Rudy Giuliani on the heels of a New York Times article on why Romney is the most disliked candidate in this field. And speaking of Giuliani, his chuckling and snorting punctuated nearly all the lighter moments of the 90-minute debate. (Where was that Giuliani when he was mayor of New York??)

Continue reading "WH '08: Everyone's Being So Nice! (For Now.)"

Posted at 5:51 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 24, 2008

McCain Wins Coveted Rambo Endorsement

Haha, we kid. About the "coveted" part, anyway. But seriously, Sylvester Stallone really has endorsed Arizona Sen. John McCain for president.

"I like McCain a lot. A lot," Sly told Fox News. "And you know, things may change along the way, but there's something about matching the character with the script. And right now, the script that's being written and reality is pretty brutal and pretty hard-edged like a rough action film, and you need somebody who's been in that to deal with it."

Continue reading "McCain Wins Coveted Rambo Endorsement"

Posted at 12:50 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 18, 2008

Can This Brand Be Saved?

It's been one year since the unofficial kickoff of the 2008 presidential campaigns, and the state of play for the Republican nomination contest is remarkable both for what has changed and what hasn't.

Most obviously different are the front-runners. Mike Huckabee, nationally unknown this time in 2007, now rides comfortably in the top tier. He's always had the goods to do well in this campaign but faced long odds against better-funded celebrity candidates.

Both he and John McCain have smashed pundits' expectations and are now enjoying the attention and funding that front-runner status guarantees. But in many ways, the game for the Republicans hasn't changed one bit. This field still lacks a candidate who is all things to all GOP voters. The party isn't coalescing around one or two choices, as is happening in the Democratic race. Rather, the party is being divvied up like a pie, with each candidate representing just a slice of the big-picture GOP platform.

The primary vote is so fractured, in fact, that a brokered convention actually seems a distinct possibility. Yeah, yeah, we hear that every other cycle. Only, the longer you examine the differences among Huckabee, McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, the more completely, utterly irreconcilable those differences seem. MSNBC's Chris Matthews is taking even more heat this week for a comparison he made between the GOP and Iraq's warring factions. Matthews may have stumbled through that analogy rather inelegantly, but he is on to something.

Continue reading "Can This Brand Be Saved?"

Posted at 3:25 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Karl Rove, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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January 09, 2008

WH '08: Don't (!!!) Call It A Comeback

"Over the last week, I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice," a relieved and triumphant Hillary Rodham Clinton told a roaring crowd of supporters last night.

Today's campaign news cycle is all about how the media and pundits boo-boo'd so badly, having declared Clinton's campaign DOA heading into the New Hampshire primary and John McCain out for the count for the last six months running. There's a sea of red faces out there but, we contend, for the wrong reason.

Last we checked, journalism was about reporting facts, not predicting them. Some amount of prognostication can be quite useful for contextualizing the news. But when so many talking heads call a close contest well before the first vote tallies come in, what's the point of that, exactly? It seems as if egos, and not the public, are the ones getting served.

Leave it to quirky, independent-minded Granite Staters to tell the rest of the country: Not so fast.

Continue reading "WH '08: Don't (!!!) Call It A Comeback"

Posted at 5:58 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Media, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Clinton Takes New Hampshire In Stunner; McCain (& Huckabee) Also Triumph

UPDATED WITH FINAL RESULTS.

Hillary Rodham Clinton has pulled out an upset in New Hampshire, where a surprisingly tight battle with Barack Obama upended early predictions that a misguided strategy might doom her bid for the Democratic nomination. The upside for those embarrassed by their premature crystal ball-gazing is that voters across the country have a real menu of options in both parties.

"I come tonight with a very, very full heart," Clinton said to tremendous cheering and applause from supporters. "I want to especially thank New Hampshire. Over the last week, I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice."

The crowd roared in response. More than anyone else on the 2008 slate of presidential candidates, the question of "how human" she seems dogs the former first lady. When Clinton appeared to be the inevitable nominee just months ago, it was because she had defied expectations in her strong debate performances and favorable responses from voters on the trail. In what was probably a moment of simple, human fatigue (although longtime Clinton-haters will say otherwise), she appeared to choke up during an exchange in a diner yesterday. A media frenzy ensued, and pundits were wondering out loud whether Clinton was too soft to endure the knocks of a presidential campaign.

By a hair (39 percent to 36 percent), Granite State voters voiced their preference for Clinton today, putting on pause the post-Iowa surge Obama appeared to be riding. If you aren't already convinced, Clinton's squeaker may be yet more proof that cable news is often best watched on mute.

Continue reading "Clinton Takes New Hampshire In Stunner; McCain (& Huckabee) Also Triumph"

Posted at 10:35 AM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 08, 2008

Study: U.S. Lags Industrialized Nations In Preventable Deaths

When the Republican candidates for president met Saturday for one of their final debates before today's New Hampshire primary, there was one point on which all six of them seemed to agree -- America has "the best health care system in the world."

While the Democrats have spent much time and energy proposing sweeping reforms to increase access for the 47 million uninsured Americans, the Republicans have been warning that a move to "socialized medicine" -- which is how they characterize the government-run systems of most other industrialized nations -- would compromise the quality of care. For example, Rudy Giuliani asserted in a radio ad that, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, his chances of survival in the U.S. were nearly double what they would have been in England "under socialized medicine."

Those figures were later disputed by some experts, but in the end his point about disease treatment may be irrelevant. As Mike Huckabee pointed out in the debate, "What we have in America is a health care maze. It's built on the idea that we wait until people are so desperately ill that the cost to try to fix them is catastrophic and out of control."

A new study published in the policy journal Health Affairs seems to echo Huckabee's concerns. In the study, the United States came in dead last among 19 leading industrialized nations in preventable deaths. The researchers based their analysis, which placed France, Japan and Australia at the top of the heap, on the number of deaths that "could have been prevented by access to timely and effective health care," Reuters reports.

Continue reading "Study: U.S. Lags Industrialized Nations In Preventable Deaths"

Posted at 3:58 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Health, Mike Huckabee, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 07, 2008

N.H. Countdown: Of Knuckleheads, Huckaburgers & Crybabies

As much as you might resent the presidential candidates for forcing you to confront the 2008 election so early, it's hard not to feel a little sorry for them. Most are sleep-deprived and anxious just four days after the Iowa caucuses, the results of which forced some candidates to retune their campaign strategies on the run.

This is especially true for Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is locked in a super-tight battle for first in tomorrow's New Hampshire primary, polls released today show. Her decisive loss to Barack Obama in Iowa seemed to send her camp into a tailspin. There are strong hints that if she is humiliated in the Granite State, a personnel shuffle will follow.

A mixture of anxiety, adrenaline and sheer physical exhaustion may explain why we've seen such a range of emotions from Clinton this week. First, she feistily returned fire at rivals Obama and John Edwards at the ABC/Facebook debate on Saturday -- a performance that indicated she wasn't going to take the onslaught of attacks lying down.

An uncharacteristically emotional moment for her today is sucking up most of the oxygen in coverage of New Hampshire. That she seemed to choke up when asked about the hardships of campaigning by a voter raises questions about her gender again. Those questions have distracted the media before, but the Clinton Crying story comes less than 24 hours before Granite Staters go to the polls.

Continue reading "N.H. Countdown: Of Knuckleheads, Huckaburgers & Crybabies"

Posted at 6:35 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Media, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 06, 2008

Liveblogging the FOX Republican Roundtable -- Minus Ron Paul

9:37. It's over. If anyone's feelings were hurt tonight, like Hillary Rodham Clinton's were yesterday, it's Mitt Romney. He seemed to be running an impeccable campaign, and that's part of the problem. Schadenfreude is a female dog, as he is learning all too well.

As we said before, the GOP primary is shaping to be a real knife-fight between Romney and McCain. Will Huckabee deliver another surprise? The ground seems to be shifting yet again in the Republican nomination battle, but with the primaries so front-loaded voters have little time to carefully weigh their options. If there is buyer's remorse come spring, we'll hear a lot of calls for shaking up the primary calendar for 2012.

Check back tomorrow for a roundup of reaction to tonight's forum and the ones ABC held last night. Good night.

9:30. Why are you best qualified to go to the general?

Giuliani: I'm not perfect, but I can solve problems.

Thompson: I've never lost an election. OK, so I haven't run in many elections...

Huckabee: I can relate to ordinary, hardworking Americans.

Romney: "Chris, I got in this race because my family told me I ought to." [ed: Really??]

McCain: I can re-energize the Republican base. And I love New Hampshire!

Continue reading "Liveblogging the FOX Republican Roundtable -- Minus Ron Paul"

Posted at 9:37 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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December 27, 2007

Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack

UPDATED.

Outraged supporters of Benazir Bhutto have taken to the streets following confirmation that the Pakistani opposition leader was assassinated today, with at least one province placed on emergency alert.

Bhutto had just spoken at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, and had gotten into a car when a gunman opened fire. The apparent assassin then blew himself up. There are conflicting reports on how she was killed. Some witnesses said she had been shot in the neck and chest, while a doctor at the hospital that treated her told the New York Times she had shrapnel wounds but would not confirm she had been directly shot.

At least 15 other people were also killed in the attack, according to various news reports. "Police in Sindh have been put on red alert," a police official told Reuters, referring to Bhutto's home province. "We have increased deployment and are patrolling in all the towns and cities, as there is trouble almost everywhere."

Television footage is showing mobs of people setting fires and destroying property in the streets.

Continue reading "Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack"

Posted at 12:52 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Asia, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, John McCain, Nuclear Weapons, Pakistan, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Terrorism, WH 2008
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December 20, 2007

Tancredo Drops Out: The Exit Interview

UPDATED.

Neither FOX nor MSNBC bothered to cover Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo's announcement earlier today that he was dropping out of the race for the White House. CNN went to it at first, then cut away so the anchor could discuss the pronunciation of the congressman's surname. This, despite the pivotal role he has played in this cycle's Republican nomination battle.

Reached by phone at his Des Moines hotel room, Tancredo sounded relaxed and content with his decision to close shop. His candidacy, after all, was from the beginning about holding the big-name guys to account on illegal immigration.

"I have dedicated 10 years of my public life to warning the nation of the perilous consequences of massive, uncontrolled illegal immigration," Tancredo told supporters at a press conference this afternoon. "This message unfortunately has fallen on deaf ears in the highest office in the land. Without a president who is committed to securing the nation, we will always remain in jeopardy."

Tancredo's announcement had been expected since yesterday. He said the urgency he felt on illegal immigration compelled him to launch his bid despite what "we knew at the time were incredibly long odds." A nationally obscure figure best known among anti-immigration hardliners, Tancredo said in April that he was entering the race because of "the field, the field."

More on what he told us about Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson after the jump.

Continue reading "Tancredo Drops Out: The Exit Interview"

Posted at 6:10 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Congress, Fred Thompson, House, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Senate, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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December 12, 2007

Ohthankgod: Liveblogging The Last GOP Debate Of 2007

4:37. In a post-debate interview on CNN, Huckabee said he apologized to Romney for the Jesus/devil remark while sticking to his earlier insistence that the remark had been taken out of context.

"He was gracious," Huckabee said of Romney's response.

There's nothing in the Times mag feature, by the way, to suggest Huckabee meant anything by that comment beyond an expression of genuine curiosity. Andrew Sullivan found background for the question on the LDS Web site. Anyone who used to go to Sunday school knows that according to the Bible Satan/Lucifer/the devil was a fallen angel. Before he went evil he was just a regular angel, and in that sense, according to LDS, the devil and Jesus are brothers of a kind. OK, that's enough theology from me.

3:50. It's over, and insane as it sounds it feels too soon. That's a product of there having been a few too many non-contenders on the stage, no doubt.

Did uncommitted Iowans get what they needed here? Depends on whom they're leaning toward. Nothing bad happened to Huckabee, which is exactly what he needed as his viability star rises. Tancredo tried to portray Huck as an immigration flip-flopper, but... he's Tancredo. Lucky for Huckabee, Giuliani only goes there at grave risk to himself.

Romney didn't get a chance to zing Huckabee, but with that ad on the air he may not have needed to. And Huckabee was not asked about that Jesus/devil comment or his own attack-ish ad. The absence of theology in this debate may not be what some campaign prognosticators wanted, but it was classy, for immediate lack of a better word.

Continue reading "Ohthankgod: Liveblogging The Last GOP Debate Of 2007"

Posted at 4:37 PM
Posted to: Alan Keyes, Campaigns, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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December 10, 2007

Univision Debate Postmortem: The Six Amigos (Plus Ron Paul)

So, our liveblog effort was a bust thanks to my lack of high-tech closed-captioning, but it doesn't look as if we missed a whole lot in the way of fireworks. Because the immigration debate has been alienating Latino voters, it was in everyone's interest last night to promote Brand GOP (as opposed to Brand Me). Most of the seven candidates present did that, but at the expense of specifics.

In other words, this was a very broad-strokes debate. The Republican candidates have been vying for months to prove just how tough they can be on closing the borders, etc., which is sort of mandatory, as they're trying to win over mostly white, conservative base voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. Then they found themselves in Miami last night before a sea of Latino Americans -- the fastest-growing bloc of voters in the nation. In order to hew to what they'd been saying about immigration reform up until last night, some of which may not have gone over well in this crowd, they had to fiddle with their rhetoric.

That translated to lots of talk of freedom and no trading barbs on sanctuary cities or sanctuary mansions. The central mission was to not tick anyone off, and on that score they probably succeeded.

Continue reading "Univision Debate Postmortem: The Six Amigos (Plus Ron Paul)"

Posted at 7:36 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Immigration, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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December 09, 2007

Liveblogging The Univision Republican Debate

7:46. Just had to update with this: LOTS of applause in this crowd for a question about Hugo Chavez, Washington's least favorite South American leader. Have no idea what question was posed to Paul w/r/t to Chavez, but his response inspires waves and waves of boos. What just happened here? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

7:28. Well, I got my closed captioning to work -- and the captions are en Espanol. Sorry, readers, but looks like I'm going to have to abort this mission. Truly a first in Gate history.

That said, I am just dumbfounded that the producers would change the format of the Republican debate in such a way that many non-Spanish-speaking Americans would not be able to tune in. There are so many questions about where some of these candidates -- Romney, Giuliani -- really are on immigration reform. That isn't the case in the much more unified Democratic field -- questions about driver's licenses notwithstanding.

We'll have a roundup of reaction to the debate tomorrow. Daily Kos has a Spanish-speaker watching; you can check out their (hotly partisan) liveblog coverage here. The Corner was also stymied in its coverage attempt. Somewhere, Tom Tancredo is doing la cucaracha in front of a TV set.

Apologies again. See you all tomorrow.

Continue reading "Liveblogging The Univision Republican Debate"

Posted at 7:46 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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December 06, 2007

Romney Stands Firm On Mormon Faith, Stresses 'Tolerance'

UPDATED.

In a speech meant to mark a turning point in his bid for support among evangelicals, Mitt Romney declared that as president he would serve the U.S. Constitution, not the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but that religious faith ought to be a permanent fixture in the public square.

"I will put no doctrine of any church above the plain duties of the office and the sovereign authority of the law," Romney said, speaking at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. Adding that some voters might want him to sever Romney the politician from Romney the Mormon, he said, "That I will not do. I believe in my Mormon faith, and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers -- I will be true to them and to my beliefs."

Romney's address veered deeper into the topic of his faith, and its contrast to other faiths, than was previously indicated by his campaign. He was addressing the topic in more detail than he has since announcing his bid for the presidency because of a threat to his standing among Republican primary voters by Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and a Baptist minister. Huckabee has raised a meager fraction of what Romney has so far this cycle, and his sudden rise in the polls is attributed to support from evangelical voters who distrust Romney because of his faith.

Romney was speaking before a preselected audience of supporters, but the tenor and content of his speech was quite obviously directed at skeptics. "Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they are right, so be it," Romney said. "But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience."

Continue reading "Romney Stands Firm On Mormon Faith, Stresses 'Tolerance'"

Posted at 12:42 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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November 28, 2007

Liveblogging The CNN/YouTube Republican Debate

End note. I rode CNN pretty hard earlier, but overall this was a very good forum for these candidates. The producers did a better job than last time at picking interesting and varied questions (with the requisite gotchas, of course), and the holdouts for facing the YouTube Generation -- Romney, Giuliani -- probably did themselves a favor by deciding to show up.

What will get the most attention tomorrow is the knife-fight between Giuilani and Romney that kicked things off. Their cases against each other -- that Giuliani ran a liberal government in a crazy city and that Romney is a political changeling who accomplished little as governor -- went public only recently, and tonight is the first time we saw the candidates make their arguments mano a mano. Their squabbling produced a good moment for Thompson, who got to play the grown-up in the room as he methodically parsed what was wrong with both their records on immigration.

But as those anti-Huckabee press releases indicate, Thompson's camp realizes their man is in trouble. The "Law & Order" star was the one who was supposed to swoop in and rescue stranded GOP voters; now it looks like Huckabee's doing the rescuing, among evangelical Iowans, anyway.

Continue reading "Liveblogging The CNN/YouTube Republican Debate"

Posted at 11:22 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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Debate Night: The GOP & The Snowman

Looking ahead to tonight's highly anticipated CNN/YouTube debate, we find ourselves pondering a few weighty matters.

How much representation will CNN give to questions about Iraq, now that coverage of the war has dropped off steeply on that network and elsewhere?

Will the format of tonight's debate prove more hostile to the Republican candidates than to the Democrats, as we suspected in July?

And finally: What are the chances Mitt Romney won't be asked to take a question from that Snowman?

These and other issues will be resolved starting at 8 p.m. EST tonight on CNN; The Gate will be liveblogging the action starting at 7:45. But first, some prognostication, after the jump.

Continue reading "Debate Night: The GOP & The Snowman"

Posted at 4:16 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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November 15, 2007

Giuliani's Shining City On A Hill

Rudy Giuliani upped the ante in the White House 2008 ad war today when he debuted the first TV spot of his presidential campaign in New Hampshire. The 60-second ad, entirely focused on the GOP front-runner's record as mayor of New York City, describes how he transformed the Big Apple from the crime and welfare "capital of America" to a city so clean and shiny, Disney filmmakers recently found it to be a fitting location for a live-action fairytale. But perhaps more interesting is what doesn't get mentioned in the ad: Giuliani's post-9/11 leadership.

See today's Ad Spotlight (subscription) for more details. Plus: Fred Thompson follows Tom Tancredo with an immigration-themed ad of his own.

Photo: Liz Lynch

Posted at 1:51 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Fred Thompson, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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November 13, 2007

WH '08: Reading Between The Lines

This is what Wanda Franz, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said of today's Fred Thompson endorsement:

Our endorsement is a testament to Senator Thompson's long-standing pro-life record, his commitment to protecting unborn children, and our belief in his ability to win.

Emphasis ours. Ed Morrissey rightly points out that NRLC could have easily waited until a nominee emerges to make its decision, rather than casting its lot so soon with a candidate who's not completely on board with them. Rudy Giuliani winning the nod puts all the pro-life grassroots in an awkward position, so they'd all be in the same boat.

The reason this endorsement is significant is because of what it says about Mitt Romney's candidacy. It's nothing new, by the way. But it's worth chewing over.

On the issues, Romney is more in line with the pro-life grassroots than Thompson (a federalist) or Giuliani (pro-choice). It doesn't take much to figure out what's going on here. The institutions that are the face of evangelical America won't come out and say it, but the men and women who make up that base will.

Continue reading "WH '08: Reading Between The Lines"

Posted at 5:43 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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November 12, 2007

WH '08: Think Of The Cup As Overfloweth-ing

Is this a good or bad cycle for the religious right, already?

Despite a season of complaints, it turns out all sorts of Christian conservatives are finding something they like in each of the leading Republican candidates. The latest recipient of endorsement manna: Fred Thompson, who has picked up the National Right To Life Committee.

The timing couldn't be better for the "Law & Order" star, whose two-month-long campaign is getting ho-hum reviews (subscription). Joe Klein all but wrote Thompson off today, before news of the NRLC nod broke.

Clearly some will have to rethink the ETA of Thompson's political demise. The NRLC is expected to formally announce its endorsement tomorrow, and it will be worth keeping an ear open for the language they use. Thompson is a federalist on the abortion issue. That's pretty in line with a lot of conservatives, but not with advocacy groups like NRLC that won't settle for less than a federal ban on the procedure.

Continue reading "WH '08: Think Of The Cup As Overfloweth-ing"

Posted at 5:54 PM
Posted to: Abortion, Campaigns, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, WH 2008
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November 07, 2007

WH '08: 9/11 Really Did Change Everything

In an anticipated but nonetheless stunning development, televangelist Pat Robertson has endorsed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for president.

"For months I have contemplated our future and the outstanding group of men who are offering themselves to the Republican Party to be its standard-bearer in the 2008 presidential election. Today, it is my pleasure to announce my support for a mayor, America's mayor, Rudy Giuliani, and a proven leader, who is not afraid of what lies ahead and who will cast a hopeful vision for all Americans," Robertson announced at a campaign press conference.

The controversial Christian right leader had been courted heavily by the Republican candidates. Mitt Romney delivered the May commencement address at Robertson's Regent University, and John McCain apologized to Robertson for grouping him with the "agents of intolerance" in the evangelical community after his failed 2000 presidential bid.

"Sometimes you say things in anger that you don't mean," the Arizona senator explained in a March interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Robertson had made it clear that all was not forgiven, declaring on several occasions that McCain would never win his vote. Romney, however, was thought to have an actual shot. Robertson hadn't gone on the record criticizing the former Massachusetts governor's Mormon faith, even though it's considered by some evangelicals to be a cult.

Observers may describe this coup for Giuliani as a game-changing moment in Republican electoral politics. They might be overstating things a bit.

Continue reading "WH '08: 9/11 Really Did Change Everything"

Posted at 12:45 PM
Posted to: Abortion, Campaigns, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, WH 2008
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November 06, 2007

Postcard From An Early Primary State

With two months to go before the first-in-the-nation nomination ballots, voters in states not named Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina may be forgiven for feeling neglected by the candidates vying for the presidency. But try to look at it another way: At least you can ignore this very early election season if you want.

Those of us from early primary states don't have that luxury. Last weekend, I found that a trip back home was no vacation from my job. In fact, driving around Greenville, S.C., provided ample evidence that while I may report from Washington on campaign activities, the crux of the action is quite far away.

Take, for instance, the time-honored tradition of yard signs. They're not as high-budget as TV or Web ads (although I did spy a Mitt Romney spot or two when I turned on the tube). During election season, the durable outdoor signs line roadways as well as lawns.

Based on a very unscientific count, the two most active candidates in the very conservative upstate seemed to be former Massachusetts Gov. Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul. The candidates were about even on road signs alone, although Paul -- known for his resourceful supporters -- also had signs along the freeway that declared a "Ron Paul Revolution." However, many of the Romney signs were seen near Bob Jones University, where the university's president recently created a furor when he announced his support for the Mormon candidate. Then there was the lone sign for Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, that predictably read: "No Amnesty For Illegals. Tancredo For President."

Continue reading "Postcard From An Early Primary State"

Posted at 4:24 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Gay Rights, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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October 31, 2007

WH '08: Clinton Gets Hazing In Philly Debate

It was ugly, all right. And we're not just talking about the city.

The Democratic presidential candidates chasing Hillary Rodham Clinton sought last night [video] to portray the front-runner as George W. Bush with a better health plan. Did they succeed? And does it matter?

We ask the second question because of how close we are to the primaries and because of how gaping the Big Mo gap's become. Clinton tops second-place Barack Obama by 14 percent and 28 percent per Zogby and CBS News, respectively. Though everyone on stage at Drexel University might come to regret it later in the general election, last night seemed as good a time as any to air out the family business.

By that we mean the internal conversation Democrats have been engaged in practically since Clinton announced she was running for the Senate, a move widely viewed as a springboard to this moment. To the amazement of quite a few old political hands, the former first lady has managed to overcome many of her negatives. In the latest survey, CBS respondents gave her the highest favorability rating among the candidates.

So last night, as expected, Clinton was attacked more pointedly and with more aggression than we've seen in this field. Did anyone manage to land a punch? Yep. Is Clinton down for the count? Nope. Are we going to ride the "Rocky" metaphors for the duration of this post? You bet.

Takeaways from the Dilly in Philly after the jump.

Continue reading "WH '08: Clinton Gets Hazing In Philly Debate"

Posted at 1:49 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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October 29, 2007

Mitt Romney Lightens Up Slightly

The eight major Republican presidential candidates have signed on to the CNN/YouTube debate on Nov. 28. We're not going to use the F-word, but this news apparently means Mitt Romney has changed his mind about participating in the forum.

In July, Romney sniffed that "the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman." Both he and Rudy Giuliani pooh-poohed the debate, originally scheduled for Sept. 17, to the consternation of Republican primary voters and, well, us.

Continue reading "Mitt Romney Lightens Up Slightly"

Posted at 11:33 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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October 23, 2007

Values Voters: Better Luck Next Cycle

We're just getting around to this now, but others have made the case already. Ignore those Romney press releases: Mike Huckabee trounced the Republican field at the Values Voters Summit last weekend.

Huckabee came out with 51.3 percent of on-site straw poll voters, followed by Mitt Romney at 10.4 percent and everyone else in the single digits. Romney's camp declared him the big winner based on online voting by Family Research Council members in a poll that's been open since August. Even there, he and Huckabee came out virtually dead even, 27.6 percent to 27.2 percent.

Only FRC members were permitted to vote, and an FRC spokesman said that duplicate votes in the online and on-site polling were eliminated. According to The Caucus, a minimum donation of $1 is required for FRC membership.

Long story short, it's clear by those numbers that the guy with almost no money, organization or national name recognition was the real winner.

"If the Christian majority actually got behind Huckabee, and if they used all the organization that Christians already have, he could do really well," complained Daniel Briggs, a volunteer with Americans United for Life.*

That's a question we've been asking all cycle: Why isn't the evangelical right amassing its forces behind Huckabee, the religious conservative's religious conservative?

Continue reading "Values Voters: Better Luck Next Cycle"

Posted at 1:45 PM
Posted to: Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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October 18, 2007

WH '08: Brownback To Bow Out

The Republican field has suffered another casualty, as Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback is expected to end his nine-month bid for the presidency after failing to register in fundraising and polls.

Although he had previously said he would drop out of the race if he finished worse than fourth in the Iowa caucuses this January, the final blow to his struggling campaign appears to have come much earlier. According to finance reports his campaign submitted this week, Brownback raised only $817,286 in the third quarter and $3.5 million since he announced.

In the latest Strategic Vision (R) poll of Iowa Republicans, Brownback polled at just 4 percent. A recent Gallup/USA Today poll placed him at 2 percent nationally.

Continue reading "WH '08: Brownback To Bow Out"

Posted at 12:06 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
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October 16, 2007

McCain Reports More Money Woes In 3Q

The third-quarter money race is coming into focus this week, as yesterday marked the deadline for candidates to file their official fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission. The national front-runners on both sides of the aisle -- Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rudy Giuliani -- pulled ahead of their closest rivals in the money race, adding fuel to their growing leads and fresh hurdles for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, who have been stagnating in the polls.

But for at least one candidate, the correspondence between campaign momentum and cash flow isn't quite as clear-cut.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has experienced something of a renaissance on the trail after a dismal second-quarter showing and a major campaign shakeup, is reporting $3.4 million cash on hand, $1.8 million of which is set aside for the general election. Factoring in his $1.7 million in reported debt, Marc Ambinder helpfully does the math: "That means that McCain's campaign has no cash on hand -- in fact, even with the general election money factored in, it owes about $94,000. It is, in other words, bankrupt."

Continue reading "McCain Reports More Money Woes In 3Q"

Posted at 3:21 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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October 10, 2007

The Republicans Yuk It Up In Michigan

This is how low the bar is set for the 2008 Republican front-runners' debate performances: Don't screw up, and make us laugh at least once.

That's according to most of the news coverage, anyway. Of Fred Thompson's long-awaited debut in yesterday's GOP primary debate in Michigan, the general assessment is no, he didn't screw up, and yes, that one thing he said at the end was kind of funny.

"I've enjoyed watching these fellas," the former Tennessee senator said as things were winding down. "I've got to admit, it was getting a little boring without me."

Good line, were it not for the fact that the debate wasn't terribly exciting with him either. He didn't scuffle with any of his eight rivals there, so there were no fireworks. Nor, as Rich Lowry also observed, were any of the "Law & Order" star's lines very funny. Does it matter? Thompson's catching a lot of flak for a rocky campaign launch -- before CNBC aired the debate, Radar magazine went up with a YouTube-laden "blooper reel" feature -- but his ready-made support in the polls guarantees him top-contender status. That support, remember, was there even before he officially entered the race. Unless he goofs up horribly on the national stage, it isn't going away because of one disappointing debate performance.

Thompson's viability is rooted less in who he is than who he is not. So voters might be better served by also paying attention to how Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney fared, even though this was their umpteenth televised debate.

Continue reading "The Republicans Yuk It Up In Michigan"

Posted at 9:15 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Economy, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iran, John McCain, Middle East, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Taxes, WH 2008
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October 04, 2007

GOP 3Q Tallies Come Trickling In

Almost exactly one hour after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney boasted $10 million in primary contributions for the third quarter -- the largest announced sum of any GOP contender as of about noon today -- front-runner Rudy Giuliani finally came out with his own 3Q tally of $10.5 million, giving him the most cash on hand of all his primary opponents.

Sound familiar? The other side's front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton, similarly tried to take the wind out of her closest rivals' sails earlier this week when she waited to announce her $22 million 3Q take after the media had already rushed to crown Barack Obama the leader in Democratic dollars (he raised $19 million for the primary).

Giuliani's $500,000 leg-up on Romney isn't as impressive as Clinton's quarterly cash advantage over Obama, nor were his methods as smooth (was his press secretary waiting vigilantly by the computer for Romney to show his hand first?). But the Giuliani campaign is sure to use his second consecutive quarter of fundraising domination to foster the impression that the former New York City mayor is the GOP contender best equipped to face the Clinton juggernaut.

Continue reading "GOP 3Q Tallies Come Trickling In"

Posted at 2:35 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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October 02, 2007

Clinton & The Democrats Lead In Third-Quarter Fundraising

As if further proof was needed, the third-quarter fundraising totals trickling out of the top presidential campaigns this week are demonstrating that in the 2008 White House race, the Democrats have the almighty dollar on their side.

And despite breathless media reports crowning Barack Obama the king of the third quarter yesterday, Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign reports this morning that she raised $27 million ($22 million for the primary) in the past three months -- $7 million more than her closest rival. Looks like Democrats are going to have an even harder time combating Clinton's image as the inevitable nominee.

Continue reading "Clinton & The Democrats Lead In Third-Quarter Fundraising"

Posted at 10:40 AM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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September 28, 2007

Race & The GOP: Six Out Of 10 Ain't Bad

The highly anticipated season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" opened
with --

Oops, wrong post.

In case you missed it, and you probably did, there was a Republican presidential debate last night at Morgan State University in Baltimore. As with the Democrats' turn in June, radio and talk-show host Tavis Smiley was on hand to host the All-American Presidential Forum on PBS before a mostly black audience on the historically black campus.

What was different this time around? The four empty podiums on stage.

Out of the belief that the gains made by the GOP under President Bush's leadership have been hopelessly eroded (by President Bush's leadership), or the belief that with independents out of reach, their socially conservative, mostly white base is more crucial than ever, front-runners Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson skipped the event.

The six candidates chasing them were smart enough to take advantage.

Continue reading "Race & The GOP: Six Out Of 10 Ain't Bad"

Posted at 9:00 AM
Posted to: Alan Keyes, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, President Bush, Race, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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September 27, 2007

Who's Afraid Of Tavis Smiley?

Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson are, apparently.

The leading Republican presidential candidates cited "scheduling conflicts" as their reason for skipping tonight's All-American Presidential Forum on PBS.

"I'm puzzled by their decision. I can't speak for them. I think it's a mistake," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich earlier this week.

President Bush also weighed in on the matter last week: "My advice to whoever will be our nominee is to reach out to the African-American community as well as other communities, because I believe we've got a very strong record when it comes to" issues affecting them.

Continue reading "Who's Afraid Of Tavis Smiley?"

Posted at 5:14 PM
Posted to: Alan Keyes, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, President Bush, Race, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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September 21, 2007

Another Gotcha Moment For Giuliani Camp

First, he didn't know how much a gallon of milk costs. Now, his homeland security adviser is being accused of disparaging Muslim Americans.

On Wednesday, the Politico reported that Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said in an interview, “We have, unfortunately... too many mosques in this country."

King later complained that his remarks were taken out of context. Politico has since posted video of the interview to let readers decide, and it appears that King may be right -- sort of.

Continue reading "Another Gotcha Moment For Giuliani Camp"

Posted at 11:28 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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September 20, 2007

Rudy Giuliani: Too Sexy For This Campaign?

Maybe it's the adrenaline rush of being one of the front-runners in the presidential race, or maybe all that "Mayor of the World" talk just went to his head, but at a campaign stop in England today (are the Brits voting on Super Tuesday now, too?), Rudy Giuliani claimed to be "one of the four or five best known Americans in the world."

It was a bold assertion for a man whose appearance at a "posh London hotel" appeared to be eclipsed by the presence of actor Dustin Hoffman, "who was on a separate visit," according to AP.

Despite the throng of fans lining up for a glimpse of Hoffman, "The Graduate" star didn't even make Giuliani's short list. When pressed to provide other examples of the top five famous Americans, the former New York City mayor couldn't get past "Bill Clinton... Hillary..." before being "whisked away for another engagement." That's probably a good thing. If Giuliani were being honest, he'd probably name Oprah Winfrey next, and we all know she's not on his side in the White House race.

Continue reading "Rudy Giuliani: Too Sexy For This Campaign?"

Posted at 4:27 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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September 11, 2007

Polls Reveal The Lingering Scars Of 9/11

It was a much drearier Tuesday morning in the Northeast today than it was six years ago, but once again Americans awoke to the horrific images of commercial airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This time, of course, it was a replay.

While the sixth anniversary of 9/11 appears to herald the most visible return to normalcy since the attacks occurred, new surveys show they have left an indelible mark on the nation's psyche. And while most Americans say they have not made permanent changes to their individual lifestyles since Sept. 11, 2001, they continue to feel that the nation is at risk of another attack.

See today's Poll Track (subscription) for new numbers on terrorism and the 9/11 anniversary from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, Gallup/USA Today and Zogby pollsters.

Plus: Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's decision to revisit Ground Zero for today's memorial services is not as controversial to most Americans as it is to some New Yorkers, the Gallup/USA poll shows. CBS News/New York Times also has numbers on the GOP front-runner's persona as the anti-terrorism candidate.

Posted at 11:32 AM
Posted to: Rudy Giuliani, Terrorism
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September 10, 2007

The Maverick Candidate Who Might Have Been

Pity that Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel never jumped into the 2008 presidential race. John McCain is the only big-name GOP candidate who talks about the Iraq war in specifics, while Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani have been hanging back cautiously in anticipation of today's report from Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Surely the Republican nomination contest could have used an injection of skepticism about the war from someone other than Ron Paul, if only for the practice it would provide candidates ahead of the general election matchup.

But Hagel's almost-candidacy never arrived, despite some sly flirting with the political press. Remember that dinner with Mike Bloomberg? Both men were careful not to kiss and tell, so to speak, but then the Nebraska Republican went ahead and strongly hinted to CBS' Bob Schieffer that a Hagel-Bloomberg ticket might be a pretty good idea.

It was all a big tease.

Continue reading "The Maverick Candidate Who Might Have Been"

Posted at 11:25 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Chuck Hagel, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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September 06, 2007

The FOX Republican Debate; Thompson's Tease On Leno

Last night, the GOP candidates for president once again gathered before the podiums -- this time in New Hampshire -- to talk Iraq, immigration, the economy and more. As always, The Gate was watching.

Score a few for McCain. It's hard to envision the Arizona senator getting much further in this race after the losses he's suffered this summer, and yet it's equally hard to accept that John McCain's candidacy might be over so soon. He has the most storied military and foreign policy experience out of everyone on that stage, and all the change vs. experience talk this cycle has obscured the fact that this election is really about both.

Experience is the change. The Iraq war was planned and managed by civilians with no substantive military experience who ignored the advice of the Colin Powells and Brent Scowcrofts of the nation. Yes, McCain supported the invasion, but he was among the first to spot flaws in the postwar planning, and he says he's committed to leaving Iraq better than it was, which means he's both critical and supportive of ongoing operations there.

Whereas his earlier platform on Iraq too closely echoed the perceived blindness from the White House, costing him independent voters, McCain seems to have found a more credible argument for the war. "The people in New Hampshire are sad and angry over our failures in Iraq," McCain said last night. "I want our troops home. But I want them home with honor, otherwise we will face genocide and catastrophe in the region." The first point is clearly true, and voters may be coming around to the second point. Just ask the Democrats, who've been forced to temper their get-out-now calls.

Continue reading "The FOX Republican Debate; Thompson's Tease On Leno"

Posted at 10:38 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Fred Thompson, Iraq, John McCain, Middle East, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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September 05, 2007

Happy Republican Debate Fred Thompson Day!

All eight remaining Republican presidential candidates will go head to head once again in New Hampshire, starting at 9 p.m. EDT in a debate to be aired on FOX News. But there's little buzz surrounding the first major post-Labor Day White House '08 debate, thanks to Fred Thompson, who after months of waiting will make his candidacy zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Oops. Sorry about that.

The former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order" star is skipping the Q&A tonight in favor of an appearance on "The Tonight Show." Tomorrow, he will formally announce his candidacy for the GOP nod in a Webcast. Is it us, or is this not how anyone thought Thompson would ride in to rescue his anemic party?

Whereas Thompson's entry a few months ago might have been met by Hallelujahs and confetti from the base, he will now find a number of unpleasant questions awaiting him. Namely, why did he wait so long, and what's with the staff overhaul just as his campaign is going official?

Continue reading "Happy Republican Debate Fred Thompson Day!"

Posted at 6:59 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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August 22, 2007

The Tancredo Effect

In a scathing critique of the latest battle between GOP presidential hopefuls Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney over who's tougher on illegal immigrants, the Wall Street Journal editorial board this morning wondered (subscription) if the candidates were "competing for the Republican Presidential nomination, or for the job of vacation replacement for Lou Dobbs?"

While CNN's popular populist probably has something to do with the front-runners' new immigration obsession, Giuliani and Romney are actually taking their cues from a much closer source: fellow Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo.

When the Colorado congressman best known for his hard-line stance on immigration declared his candidacy back in April, he made no effort to hide his intentions. "The political elite in Washington have chosen to ignore this phenomenon," he said of illegal immigration. "You look" at the Republican field "and you see no one is going to make this the primary issue of their campaign."

Tancredo, on the other hand, has done just that.

Continue reading "The Tancredo Effect"

Posted at 1:39 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Immigration, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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August 13, 2007

A Few Reasons To Heart Huckabee

We've never understood why Mike Huckabee hasn't fared better in the GOP primary contest. From his resume (Arkansas governor, rocker) to his bio (Baptist preacher, lost 110 pounds) to his age (52), the witty and likeable Huckabee seems to have all the goods for a presidential run.

Which is why the Other Man From Hope's surprise second-place finish at the Iowa Republican Straw Poll could potentially shake up the race. In political circles, the nonbinding vote is said to be the best money can buy. Unlike much of his competition, Huckabee didn't have the cash to bus in supporters. His tent wasn't air-conditioned. The Club for Growth was running a TV ad in the Ames/Des Moines market accusing Huckabee of raising taxes on nursing home beds. And still, Huckabee persuaded 737 people to vote for him gratis (the campaign was able to pay for 1,850 supporters' tickets).

That Huckabee, who still doesn't have national name recognition, was able to pull it off is a testament to his attractiveness as a candidate. Now he will have to leverage that success to turn his bid for the GOP nod into an insurgent campaign that catches fire -- and campaign donations.

Continue reading "A Few Reasons To Heart Huckabee"

Posted at 1:40 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, WH 2008
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Rebuffed By Iowans, Tommy Thompson Heads Home

After spending months (and millions) touring the state of Iowa in his bid to woo caucus voters the old-fashioned way, GOP presidential hopeful Tommy Thompson is packing up and heading home.

True to his word, the former Wisconsin governor took a good, hard look at his prospects for winning the GOP nomination after finishing a disappointing sixth in this weekend's Iowa straw poll and decided it was time to move on.

"I have no regrets about running," Thompson said Sunday in a statement. "I felt my record as governor of Wisconsin and secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as president, but I respect the decision of the voters."

Continue reading "Rebuffed By Iowans, Tommy Thompson Heads Home"

Posted at 1:12 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Fred Thompson, Jim Gilmore, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
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August 10, 2007

Amesin' For A Win

This weekend, political junkies and the GOP faithful will have their eyes glued on a small, quaint city smack in the middle of Iowa. Ames, population 52,000, is home to Iowa State University, soybean fields and Skunk River. In politics, however, it's known primarily for its influential* GOP presidential straw poll.

The relevance of Ames gets an asterisk this year, in part because two of the Republican Party's top contenders -- former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain -- have opted not to participate in the contest. Another cloud overshadowing Iowa's prominence in the 2008 election is the rush of other states to move their primary dates up to January and early February.

Despite Giuliani's and McCain's decisions to skip the Ames contest, the rest of the field is soldiering on with Iowa-focused campaigns, and most of the momentum is resting with Mitt Romney.

Continue reading "Amesin' For A Win"

Posted at 1:06 PM
Posted to: Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tommy Thompson
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August 09, 2007

Primary Calendar Madness: Who Wins? Who Loses?

This is getting sort of silly.

Despite DNC and RNC plans to punish states that stage primaries too early, states including Florida, Iowa and New Hampshire are likely to push up their presidential nomination votes following the South Carolina Republican Party's decision to move its Jan. 29 primary to Jan. 19. In particular, Iowa and New Hampshire are giving each other the hairy eyeball as both look at moving up their tentative dates, Jan. 14 and 22, respectively.

If New Hampshire moves its date to a week before South Carolina's, Iowa will be required by state law to look at dates eight days before or sooner. Iowa will be looking at holding caucuses uncomfortably close to the New Year holiday, which means moving them to 2007 would be not only on the table but likely.

Continue reading "Primary Calendar Madness: Who Wins? Who Loses?"

Posted at 7:00 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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August 06, 2007

The Obama Republican Iowa Debate

Shortly after yesterday's Republican presidential candidates debate in Iowa kicked off, this Gater found herself applauding. Was it for Mitt Romney? Tom Tancredo? Ron Paul?

None of the above. The Gate was clapping for ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, who dug out a few of those negative campaign tactics voters so despise and forced offending candidates to explain themselves.

First on the dock: Sam Brownback, a hero of pro-life conservatives who can't seem to get a leg up in the crowded race for the GOP nod. In an effort to claw upward in the polls, he's zeroed in on Romney, who's positioned himself as the only true social conservative in the upper tier of candidates. Stephanopoulos played Brownback's campaign robo-call to Iowans attacking Romney for his prior pro-choice stance.

Awk-ward.

Continue reading "The Obama Republican Iowa Debate"

Posted at 5:51 PM
Posted to: Asia, Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, John McCain, Middle East, Mitt Romney, Pakistan, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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July 27, 2007

We Want A GOP YouTube Debate!

The Gate tries very hard to not cross the "advocacy" line, but some recent (un)developments have forced us to take a stand.

We want a Republican YouTube debate.

No, the format of Monday's Democratic forum wasn't "revolutionary," as CNN would have you believe, but it was both informative and entertaining. The kids need a little cheese sauce with their broccoli sometimes, and we bet that the YouTube format had them more engaged than in any of the previous face-offs.

So listen, Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Mitt Romney and Tom Tancredo: Sign on to the Sept. 17 CNN/YouTube debate, already.

We get that campaign time is an increasingly precious commodity. Republicans, not to mention the rest of the country, aren't really hot on any of you right now. But how could taking occasionally quirky questions from real-live Americans hurt? If anything, you get a platform on which to let your good humor and personality shine. We urge you to seize this opportunity.

Note that it's a group of Republicans who are circulating a petition asking you to reconsider. Conservatives ridiculed Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards for skipping the planned FOX News Democratic debate. Gentleman, do not cut and run from this chance to show Americans a) that you are running for president (a lot of them don't know this yet) and b) that you are not afraid of the occasional curveball. Please follow Tommy Thompson's lead and show us you're not scared of a talking snowman.

The Gate isn't signing any petitions for obvious reasons, but we encourage our readers to send this along: http://www.savethedebate.com/.

-JANE ROH

Graphic: Reuben Dalke

Posted at 4:55 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Duncan Hunter, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
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July 25, 2007

The Other Rudys

Rudy Giuliani seems to be the candidate of many colors in the 2008 White House race.

So far, the GOP front-runner has managed to bounce back from a series of mini-scandals with apparent ease. His No. 1 status in national primary matchups has been fairly consistent since the beginning of the race, and a new ABC News/Washington Post poll has him topping the field by double-digit margins. The outlook is relatively rosy for general-election Rudy as well: He's considered the best-equipped Republican to beat out a Democratic opponent in the ABC/Post poll, and he tops both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama in new Gallup matchups.

But the former New York City mayor is not resting on his laurels -- and with good reason. Only 32 percent of Giuliani backers in the ABC/Post poll said they support him "strongly" -- indicating he is far from having the GOP nomination wrapped up.

In a new radio ad blitz aimed at primary voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, the Giuliani camp is seeking to beef up his image among an electorate that is largely unfamiliar with his mayoral accomplishments aside from the 9/11 aftermath. The strategy seems designed to steer attention away from Giuliani's social positions and personal scandals -- his weak points in the GOP race -- and tout his achievements in the Big Apple before others can paint a less-than-favorable picture of his tenure there.

See today's Ad Spotlight (subscription) for more on Giuliani's media campaign. And today's Poll Track (subscription) has more details on the latest '08 numbers.

Posted at 12:27 PM
Posted to: Rudy Giuliani
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July 18, 2007

WH '08: How To Pick A Candidate You Know Will Lose

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama each has more cash on hand than the entire Republican field combined, according to the latest campaign finance reports. It's only the second quarter, way too early for handicapping. But with check-writing closely mirroring the national polls, it might be time for Republican party leaders to embark on an awkward conversation.

Which candidate do you put forward for the White House when you know he's going to lose?

Republicans in particular do not enjoy political martyrdom. But at some point, party leaders may have to start mapping out a worst-case scenario that has them losing in the most advantageous way possible.

Continue reading "WH '08: How To Pick A Candidate You Know Will Lose"

Posted at 4:32 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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July 13, 2007

McCain: I'll Drop Out When I'm Dead

Sen. John McCain said only death would keep him out of the 2008 presidential race, even as his campaign machine continues to fall apart around him.

When asked if he could foresee circumstances in which he would drop his bid for the White House, McCain quipped, "Contracting a fatal disease." McCain was speaking to reporters following an address to the Concord Chamber of Commerce in New Hampshire.

McCain added, "I was [just] in Iraq. You never know."

The Arizona senator acknowledged that he has lost support from conservatives and independents because of his positions on immigration and Iraq, respectively. But he said he was sticking to his guns.

"I take responsibility for those positions as well as for any, quote, problems we have within the campaign function," he said.

Continue reading "McCain: I'll Drop Out When I'm Dead"

Posted at 1:33 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, John McCain, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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June 06, 2007

GOP Debate: Who's Afraid Of Fred Thompson?

Most everyone tuning in to last night's CNN-sponsored Republican forum in New Hampshire already had him on their minds, so former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson did us all a favor by calling out the ghost at the very beginning: "My name is Thompson, Tommy. I’m the candidate, not the actor."

The actor Thompson being, of course, Fred Thompson -- star of "In The Line Of Fire," "Law and Order," and lately, the fevered dreams of many a GOP primary voter. Unfortunately for Tommy Thompson, that joke may have backfired, as National Review's Katherine Jean Lopez points out. By the time the next Republican debate arrives in August, it's a safe bet more than one of the third tier -- Tommy Thompson, Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul -- will have dropped out.

Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo, by contrast, have a better chance of hanging in as the two candidates who represent the hard right on immigration reform. Both have passionate followings, and the latest skirmish in the Senate over a compromise overhaul is only angering their supporters.

Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney may be the only sure bets to last through the summer. But purity is still an issue for this party, more so, arguably, than for the Democrats, and none of these men should count on an easy ride to the primaries.

Continue reading "GOP Debate: Who's Afraid Of Fred Thompson?"

Posted at 12:53 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Jim Gilmore, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
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June 05, 2007

Third GOP Debate: What, You Guys Again?

Another day, another debate. CNN's Wolf Blitzer et al. are staying put in Manchester, N.H., tonight to host another meeting of the Republican candidates, just two days after the Democrats squared off on the same stage. If tonight's meeting seems a tad anticlimactic, or rather, pre-climactic, that might be because someone's still missing from the current slate.

Enter Fred Thompson. The former senator and "Law and Order" star once played the president on TV, and unlike Dr. Cliff Warner from "All My Children" ("I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV"), Thompson isn't selling cough syrup. Instead, he is positioning himself to be the candidate who cures what's ailing Republican voters.

NationalJournal.com's Poll Track (subscription) yesterday noted that voters already seem bored with what's on offer for 2008. Thompson sent ripples through the campaigns last week when he formed an exploratory committee. Sources close to the campaign told reporters the former Tennessee senator will formally declare his candidacy on the Fourth of July.

Continue reading "Third GOP Debate: What, You Guys Again?"

Posted at 5:40 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Fred Thompson, Immigration, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, WH 2008
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May 24, 2007

Ron vs. Rudy: The Battle Rages On

Is Ron Paul running in the wrong primary?

That was the question FOX News Channel's Chris Wallace asked the five-term Republican congressman from Texas in the May 15 GOP presidential debate in South Carolina, and the question still haunts Paul as his feud with front-runner Rudy Giuliani over foreign policy continues.

The latest chapter came this morning, when Paul teamed up with Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA's Bin Laden Unit, to "educate" Giuliani about terrorism and foreign policy. Reuters covered the event at the National Press Club, where Paul unveiled a reading list for the former mayor that included the 9/11 commission report and Scheuer's own book, "Imperial Hubris." In a press release, campaign chairman Kent Snyder added, "We have also included some Cliffs Notes in case Mr. Giuliani is too busy giving $100,000 speeches on national security."

Continue reading "Ron vs. Rudy: The Battle Rages On"

Posted at 3:43 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Campaigns, Iraq, Middle East, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Terrorism, WH 2008
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May 16, 2007

2nd GOP Debate: That's More Like It

Now that The Gate has almost fully recovered from last night's Republican debate (9 p.m. start time? Thanks, FOX), it's time to assess the post-mortems of the action. All the usual suspects have weighed in by now, and there are more thumbs-up than not to the feistiness of the 10-candidate face-off.

(For recaps of the fun, see last night's liveblog of the debate.)

There's lots of buzz around the Republican slate's own Mike Gravel, the libertarian Texas Rep. Ron Paul. They're both long-shot candidates who were thrust into headline status following their debate performances. But unlike Gravel, Paul is taking negative hits for his newsmaking moment, in which he argued that America's footprint in the Middle East was inciting terrorism and got shot down in a big way by The 9/11 Mayor himself, Rudy Giuliani.

There are two things to take away from that moment. One, Giuliani's campaign ought to hire Paul. New Yorkers know better than anyone that the anger on their former mayor's face during that exchange was the real deal. And when it comes to fighting terrorism, a little scariness from politicians is actually a good thing. Giuliani's campaign is betting that his platform on terrorism will trump unhappiness with his social views, and his performance last night was reason to throw a little money Paul's way.

Continue reading "2nd GOP Debate: That's More Like It"

Posted at 2:20 PM
Posted to: FOX News, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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May 15, 2007

Liveblogging The 2nd GOP Debate

UPDATED.

End note. Tonight's debate felt more substantive than the last meeting of the Republican 10. Candidates got the same 30 seconds or so to answer questions, but there were fewer questions this time, which made the pacing seem more orderly. The questions themselves were also all serious, more or less -- no one got lobbed with an out-of-left-field query (unlike last time around).

Quite a few of the candidates seem to have learned something from McCain. There were more follow-them-to-the-gates-of-hell type responses on terrorism tonight. But no one capped it with a weird, triumphant smile. In fact, we didn't detect any gaffes at all. (If you think Ron Paul's performance qualifies as a gaffe -- you just don't know Ron Paul.)

Overall, the field feels more set in stone than it did before. Of the lower-tier contenders, Gilmore, Huckabee and Tancredo asserted themselves the most, but probably not in a way that will set their campaigns on fire. Thompson was oddly quiet tonight, as was Brownback.

Mercifully, the next debate, this time among the Democrats, is nearly three weeks away. And, most everyone in Washington hopes, a wartime appropriations bill will make it out of Congress and past the president's desk by then. In the time since the debate began tonight, the Pentagon announced the deaths of two more soldiers, one in Iraq and one in Pakistan. Clocks are ticking all around. And no one on that stage knows this more than the guys not named Giuliani or McCain.

FOXNews.com is streaming its debate analysis. See Captain's Quarters, The Caucus, The Corner and The Fix for their takes on the debate.

10:34. And it's over. Hunter had just gotten a chance to sound the alarm on China, his other pet issue after immigration. The center of gravity in the 2008 election will likely remain the Iraq war, and there's little he and other candidates can do about that. But how much longer can the front-runners campaign on Iraq and fiscal policy alone? Shouldn't they have to give serious thought to, say, China's growing economic influence and military growth as well?

Continue reading "Liveblogging The 2nd GOP Debate"

Posted at 8:37 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Chuck Hagel, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
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GOP Debate Preview: Take Two

Tonight's FOX News-sponsored debate of the Republican presidential candidates in South Carolina comes less than two weeks after their first nationally televised debate in California. And not one of the hopefuls has reason to complain that their second meeting has come so quickly. (The Gate will be liveblogging the action at 8:45 p.m. EDT.)

The rapid-fire pace of questions at the previous forum, sponsored by MSNBC and the Politico, did not allow time for thoughtful responses, much less clarification of the occasional fumbled answer. Just ask former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who seemed to support businesses that fire employees for being gay, and has been explaining the gaffe (a busted hearing aid, a bulging bladder) ever since.

Also see: Rudy Giuliani. The pro-choice former mayor of New York told moderator Chris Matthews that he would be just fine with Roe v. Wade being overturned, just so long as it was done based on "strict constructionist" principles. Constitutional lawyers everywhere scratched their heads, and Giuliani's rivals smelled the blood of a flip-flopper in the water. The Gate spoke with Giuliani spokeswoman Maria Comella the Monday following the May 3 meet-up. After some prodding, she said that Giuliani shares a fairly widespread belief (in legal academia, anyway) that Roe was poorly decided, and that a Federalist approach may have been preferable.

Continue reading "GOP Debate Preview: Take Two"

Posted at 7:31 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
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May 03, 2007

Liveblogging The First GOP Debate

And... scene. Ronald Reagan wasn't the only ghost in the room tonight. Somewhere, perhaps on a sound stage in New York City, senator-turned-actor Fred Thompson senses a clamoring for his entree into this race. That nearly all participants went out of their way to liken themselves to Reagan mostly served to highlight the fact that, for GOP base voters, there wasn't a Gipper on the stage.

This yearning may have less to do with what Reagan actually accomplished than with Republicans needing a shot of Prozac in the form of a presidential candidate who makes them feel good about being Republicans again. As McCain's precarious position in the top tier shows, proximity to Bush may be toxic in that regard. Everyone else might be too big a question mark to fill that void.

More reason to cue the actor? That the media aren't tiring of speculating on this point may mean that none of the current candidates has convinced Republicans that he could be their champion in '08.

The Caucus, The Fix, On Politics and The Ticker also have wrap-ups of the debate.

9:46. Tancredo's back. He's a prime example of why debates like this can be unfair to some candidates. The immigration issue is one quite a few Republicans would rather paper over until after the 2008 election. Tancredo may be a long-shot candidate, but he has a loyal, energized group of supporters in Americans who want to stanch the tide of illegal immigrants making their way across the border. It's a security issue, an economic issue, and, to some Americans, a cultural issue.

In one of a handful of mentions of George W. Bush by the candidates, McCain praised the president's position on immigration. McCain and Democrat Edward Kennedy have co-sponsored a bill that enacts tighter controls at the border while providing illegal immigrants a path to citizenship -- a provision Tancredo decries as amnesty.

Polls show few Americans actually want all illegal immigrants rounded up and deported. But the problem for McCain and Bush is that, to a degree, the dictionary definition of amnesty applies. Pressing the candidates on that point could have given Tancredo and his comrade in arms on that issue, Duncan Hunter, a powerful moment in the debate. But it never happened.

9:45. Tancredo's turn on MSNBC, and -- oops. They lose him. The congressman just can't get a break tonight.

9:41. Spin room time; Brownback is first up on MSNBC. No, the candidates didn't all get a fair shot at getting their message across, and yes, the debate went a little too fast, the Kansas senator says. That's a good point, actually -- if fewer Politico.com reader questions had been asked, candidates could have been allotted more time for responses. Perhaps we'll see some Friday morning quarterbacking on the debate format tomorrow.

9:33. It's over, and the frustration on stage is palpable. Blame the number of candidates, blame the format -- there were no runaway performances here, which wasn't expected anyway, but the sheer lack of high points is a little surprising.

Romney, by the way, wins the race to rush over and greet Mrs. Reagan.

Continue reading "Liveblogging The First GOP Debate"

Posted at 7:45 PM
Posted to: John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tommy Thompson
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April 11, 2007

Giuliani Has A Supermarket Scanner Moment

Before throwing his hat into the White House '08 ring, Rudy Giuliani commanded upwards of $100,000 per speaking engagement. That kind of dough buys a lot of bread -- and apparently, someone to go out and buy the bread.

The former New York City mayor does not seem to know how much a loaf of bread or gallon of milk currently costs. ”A gallon of milk is probably about a $1.50, a loaf of bread about a $1.25, $1.30,” he said in response to a reporter's question while campaigning in Alabama.

That type of question, a favorite gotcha device of campaign reporters, is often posed to candidates to test their everyman credentials. At Safeway, the much-derided supermarket chain on which Washingtonians who live too far from Whole Foods are forced to rely, a gallon of milk goes for $2.50. A loaf of Wonder Bread Small White sells for $2.09. But who eats white bread anymore? Not the carb- and health-conscious, who might gladly fork over $3.99 for a bag of Vermont Organic Soft Wheat.

Continue reading "Giuliani Has A Supermarket Scanner Moment"

Posted at 2:07 PM
Posted to: Rudy Giuliani
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April 04, 2007

Giuliani: Abortion Is Wrong But Should Be Legal

Conservatives' long-held suspicions about Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani are suspicions no more: the former New York City mayor confirmed today that he believes most abortions should be legal.

In an interview on CNN, Giuliani said of abortion, "Ultimately, it's a constitutional right, and therefore if it's a constitutional right... even if you do it on a state by state basis, you have to make sure people are protected."

Continue reading "Giuliani: Abortion Is Wrong But Should Be Legal"

Posted at 4:31 PM
Posted to: Constitution, Rudy Giuliani
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March 05, 2007

Conservative Bloggers Want CPAC To Drop Coulter

Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters, Seth Hackbarth of The American Mind and Patrick Hynes of Ankle Biting Pundits are among the influential conservative bloggers incensed by pundit/author/TV personality Ann Coulter's use of a derogatory word for gays in a one-liner about Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. And they've teamed up, in an open letter to the Conservative Political Action Conference and its sponsors, to urge the event organizers to sever ties to Coulter for good.

Continue reading "Conservative Bloggers Want CPAC To Drop Coulter"

Posted at 1:41 PM
Posted to: Ann Coulter, John Edwards, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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March 02, 2007

CPAC: The Abridged Version

There is a conventional wisdom developing that Rudy Giuliani will take a mighty tumble closer to primary time. By then, the reasoning goes, GOP voters will eventually discover en masse that he is pro-choice and gay-friendly. (Most New Yorkers know that he roomed with some close friends who were gay after announcing to the media, but not his second wife, Donna Hanover, that he was divorcing her.)

Continue reading "CPAC: The Abridged Version"

Posted at 6:02 PM
Posted to: John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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CPAC: 'Dude, Where's My Candidate?'

So quipped former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee when opening his speech before an audience of grassroots conservatives still searching for a champion going into the 2008 presidential election. Whereas Hillary Rodham Clinton is seen as the juggernaut to beat for the Democratic nomination, every one of the Republican hopefuls have been tagged with seemingly insurmountable weaknesses. For most of the field -- like Huckabee -- it's lack of money, momentum and name recognition, but the top three contenders -- John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney -- are perceived by their party's base as leaving much to be desired.

So more than in most years, Day 2 of this year's Conservative Political Action Conference was like a day-long pitch meeting, with six of the 11 probable-to-definite candidates stating their case. Conspicuously absent, as reported yesterday, was McCain. To say that the Arizona senator's MIA status went unnoticed is to be generous. Very, very generous.

More to follow...

-JANE ROH

Posted at 4:38 PM
Posted to: John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani
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March 01, 2007

GOP Slate -- Sans McCain -- Appeals To D.C. Conservatives

The right is less than thrilled about the top three GOP White House hopefuls, and aren't shy about lamenting their plight to the press. The New York Times reported over the weekend that Christian conservatives tried to persuade South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford to run during a meeting of influential Christian conservatives last month, but to no avail. It's probably too early to characterize what the religious right may be feeling as despair; after all, it is still very early in the election cycle.

And that is why second- and third-tier hopefuls have reason to stay in contention. They will get a shot alongside the big guns to state their case before the conservative grassroots starting today at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington. Speakers include Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani and Sam Brownback.

Notice anyone missing from that list?

Continue reading "GOP Slate -- Sans McCain -- Appeals To D.C. Conservatives"

Posted at 10:54 AM
Posted to: John McCain, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani
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