The Republican Facebook Republican debate: the High and the Lows

Let the record show it was those candidates competing for the title of More-Christian-than-Thou (Huck and Mitt) that got the nastiest.

Best comeback award: to Mike Huckabee for responding to Mitt Romney's claim that he was going to explain his position on Iraq with "Which one?"

Fred Thompson talked about the Soviet Union again, but avoided naming them this time.

Debate Pussy Award: to Mitt Romney for responding to Huckabee's comeback by claiming it was a personal attack. Hey Mitt, saying you are inconsistent isn't a personal attack. Saying you are an phony asshole is.

Rudy Guiliani and Mitt Romney think our military needs to be the size of the one we had when the Soviet Union was our enemy, 40% larger than we have. Shades of Democrats in the 80's who claimed welfare would encourage people to work if we just gave them more of it.

Worst Counterexample: Rudy Guiliani's response to Ron Paul's assertion that a foreign policy that has us occupying land in that area of the world gives Muslims the motivation to attack us that mentioned the Munich Olympic attacks...on the Israelis.

Irony Award: to President Bush for insisting that a President needs to have a core set of principles he adheres to, "in good times and in bad". The one constant factor in the failures of this administration has been the President has maintaining his position on issues even during bad times, ie, when the evidence suggested doing otherwise. What we need is a president that doesn't maintain a doomed course out of principle.

Gut wrenching (in a good way) Award: everything John McCain says about serving in the military. On some levels, he seems like the only real candidate.

Gut wrenching (in a bad way) Award: When McCain and others talk as if Al Qaeda defeating America, as the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany could have, is a remote possibility.

The Get a Clue Award: When Romney and others claim we are the greatest nation on earth. We used to be the greatest nation on earth. We could be the greatest nation on earth. But if you think we are, right now, the greatest nation on earth, I want some of what you are smoking.

The Say Nothing Award: to Fred Thompson, for responding to a question about our recent policy of military aggression by saying "We should only go in where we should go in". Way to appear to agree with everyone while saying nothing Fred.

Most revealing moment: When Huckabee said "if the primary thing we're facing is war, we'll be talking about military size and military might..." Notice that negotiation, understanding our enemy, or knowing how to end the war weren't in his top two. Size and power were. Again, if the Bush administration has taught us anything, it is that our military might, unmatched in the world though it may be, has limits far below what some would have us attempt with it.

more to come...