THE GOP DEBATE….8:32 — Ron Paul apparently believes the NAFTA superhighway urban legend is for real. Oof.
8:35 — Giuliani’s once again proposing that we cut the federal workforce by 20%. Somebody really ought to press him for a few more details on that one of these days.
8:41 — McCain’s going after Ron Paul?
8:43: Hmm. Not quite 100% pandering to Grover Norquist and his anti-tax pledge. Is Grover over?
8:47 — Ah. Anderson Cooper breaks in to ask Rudy Giuliani about today’s Politico story saying that in 1999-2000 Giuliani expensed security detail charges to obscure city agencies in order to hide the fact that he was carrying on an affair with Judith Nathan (now his wife). Giuliani, in an uncharacteristically brief answer, says there’s nothing to it.
(In case you don’t feel like clicking the link, the Politico story found evidence of $34,000 worth of travel expenses buried in the accounts of — get this — the New York City Loft Board. Giuliani’s aides refused to explain the expenses on grounds of security, “But American Express bills and travel documents obtained by Politico suggest another reason City Hall may have considered the documents sensitive: They detail three summers of visits to Southampton, the Long Island town where Nathan had an apartment.”)
9:04 — McCain and Giuliani don’t own a gun? What the hell kind of effete pussies are they?
9:16 — “Do you believe this book? This specific book. Do you believe this book?” That guy was kind of creepy, wasn’t he? (“This book” = The Bible)
9:28 — Is waterboarding torture? Romney: “As a presidential candidate it would not be wise to say which techniques we would and would not use.” Spare me. What a weasel.
9:33 — Wow. A question from someone who apparently thinks the Republican Party candidates are insufficiently warmongerish. Iraq forever!
9:35 — McCain: We coulda won in Vietnam!
9:48 — Duncan Hunter says we shouldn’t allow gays in the military because most soldiers are conservatives. Um, OK.
Total weaselling from Romney on this question. He favored gays in the military in 1994, but he doesn’t now because we’re at war. Uh huh. As for the future, well, he’s got no opinion at all. He’ll just rely on the advice of his military advisors. Sheesh.
9:57 — Huckabee on the space program: “I’ve got a few suggestions, and maybe Hillary could be on the first rocket to Mars.” Whoosh. Where did that come from? What a lame attempt at a zinger.
10:01 — Romney’s opposed to displaying the Confederate flag. He actually took a stand on something that might conceivably offend a Republican voter bloc!
10:06 — McCain: No more pork if I’m president. Bold stand, Senator.
