Posted by
Bullfrog on Monday, January 07, 2008 11:40:10 PM
I watched this debate on FoxNews. Unfortunately, I missed the first 10 minutes. When I flipped it on, Huckabee and Romney were scrapping back and forth at each other. Sadly, that was about as interesting as it got.
Toward the end of the debate, Huckabee slipped into a populist economic speech, which generally doesn't sell well in a part of the country known for self-reliance, that's not part of the bible belt. I could be wrong, but my impression is that the last time populism worked in a campaign speech was during the Great Depression into WWII.
Guiliani was ineffectual. He actually did make a good "Mayor of NYC," while in office, but can't ride on that forever, given his Bernie Kerik fiasco, and still huge ego.
Thompson looked older than his years, and mumbled so badly that I had trouble understanding what he was trying to say. He came across as a corpse-for-office candidate. That's unfortunate. He's a lot more intelligent than I expected, but in a debate, it really doesn't help to deliberate too long before answering a question. He seemed indecisive.
McCain should not have brought up his Navy service as an example of leading a squadron in lieu of a corporation or a state, then saying he did it for love of country, not economic rewards. Enough of that. We know. We know. Still, he got in some good shots against Romney.
Romney appeared cool and calm, but he lost all credibility with me when he made that lame joke about someone wanting to kick him in the teeth, and he said "Just don't mess my hair," then looked around with a wide grin to see if anyone else was laughing. Nobody was. Sometimes, the jokes a candidate tells are quite telling.
It's sad to say, but I think that McCain and Romney came out of that debate looking the best. Neither one looked great.
There is still not one candidate for whom I want to vote.