Debate Night!

The traditional Go Newt!  Go Herman!  Go Anybody (and Everybody!) But Mitt! open thread.

The good news - Wolf Blitzer can't be worse than the dreadful moderator from hell at the last debate.

Comments

[centralcal]

Wolf Blitzer can't be worse...

Wanna bet?

[Ignatz]

At least you don't have to shoot Scott Pelley with a silver bullet to shut him up.

[Jane]

Look! It's Ed Meese!

[Jane]

Newt starts out nailing it. "Timothy McVeigh succeeded".

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Nothing moves anyone in the Middle East but power that breeds respect. Wishy washy is not respected. I don't give a carp who likes us, but they darn well better respect us and our power.

[Jack is Back!]

Has Ron Paul cemented his reputation as a crank or what?

[central cal]

Huntsman reminds me of a lizard.

[Jane]

CC - your name is split.

Perry wants to privatize the TSA. Me too.

[Jack is Back!]

Romney and Huntsman must have been trained during their missionary experience to be as vassilating and inconsequential as possible when answering a question.

[clarice]

Sara, what are you doing here when you could be sailing off Florida?

[central cal]

I am bouncing back and forth between the iPad (with split name @#$%) and my computer (with it correct).

[caro]

Paul will get all the attention tonight.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

They are not anything alike, why would you make that connection. Romney answers are straightforward, Huntsman answer like a mealy-nouthed diplomat.

[narciso]

Romney reminds of Don Draper, but Huntsman is
the extra oily Roger Sterling.

[centralcal]

OK - fixed my name on iPad.

[Jane]

Caro,

I told cc she could publish that pix.

[Extraneus]

Has anyone commented on the coincidence of Romney and Huntsman both bowing out of the "values forum" the other night? I didn't see it, but weren't they the only two Republicans with scheduling issues?

[centralcal]

Hi Caro! You scamp you! lol

[Captain Hate]

Romney reminds of Don Draper, but Huntsman is
the extra oily Roger Sterling.

Excellent casting, narc.

[Jane]

I suspect Huntsman was imitating Romney assuming it was a Mormon thing.

[Jack is Back!]

Huntsman is avoiding Kagan's question by saying the answer is reform of Washington but now is given us the Rand-McNally position.

[Jane]

Shut up Huntsman. No one cares.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Sara, what are you doing here when you could be sailing off Florida?

LOL. Don't I wish. One call does not a first mate make.

[RichatUF]

Huntsman wasn't invited and Romney had the scheduling conflict. I think.

[Jack is Back!]

Sara,

He's your guy, I know but he is a total neuter when it comes to any kind of opinion. I call him Mr. Middle.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Romney was in New Hampshire, Huntsman wasn't invited to that debate, so I don't think there is a coincidence.

[Captain Hate]

Has Ron Paul cemented his reputation as a crank or what?

I felt that way 4 years ago.

[Jane]

I like Perry again. Don't blow it Rick.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Mormons aren't brainwashed robots. The church prepares one to be a confident public speaker, it does not put words in the speaker's mouth.

[caro]

Cc,I could use one of your excellent Manhattans about now.

[centralcal]

Caro, I have the "recipe" all made and in the fridge. Put on your sweats and come on over!

I like Perry more and more. Sure hope he has found his footing in this gong show format!

[Jane]

Blah blah blah

[matt]

If elected, Jane, I would immediately eliminate the TSA and lose about half of their stupid rules. Mindless bureaucracy defined and not a single success pronounced.

The United States has been stepping closer and closer to the old Soviet/Chinese model ever since 9/11.

[RichatUF]

I take it that nothing interesting has happened yet.

[Jack is Back!]

Well, as someone who lived in Indonesia and travelled to Pakistan for project work, I have to tell you that Romney's characterization of Indonesia and Pakistan is BS. Indonesia is a very liberal muslim country compared to Pakistan with a large ethnic Chinese business and intellectual component. No relativity whatsoever. Pretty poor example.

[Jane]

On Twitter they are yelling at the NRO people for being anti-huntsman. To me that is among their finest qualities.

[Jane]

You have my vote Matt.

[narciso]

Right, Suharto, made quite sure of that, he suppressed the Islamists as much s possible, Zia did the opposite, in the dozen years he was around.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

What was it like 45 years ago, JiB, because he was referring to the programs initiated then, not today.

[Jack is Back!]

Newt!

He always sees the question as being the answer.

[Jack is Back!]

Sara,

Indonesian has always been a liberal muslim country. You can drink and gamble for example and there is little radicalism for a country of 225 million muslims. Malaysia was the same way but not now. Pakistan is a launching pad for radical jihadists plus they have they have the drug trade. The two are not comparable in any way that I know of.

[narciso]

They were doomed by the fall of Jinnah, and the first coup, Liaquat KHan, I think.

[Tonto]

@Sara from two threads back:
"I joked and said it would be hard to carry out first mate chores from a wheel chair and his answer was he could be my Cary Grant (I don't get the reference)"

The reference is to An Affair To Remember starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. It's about thwarted true love -- and the wheelchair is pivotal! Check out IMBd for a good summary.

[Jack is Back!]

Let me clarify. Parts of urban Pakistan especially toward Karachi are more liberal but the country as a whole is not that safe and welcoming of western input. This is my opinion and I could be as wrong as hell.

Indonesia's biggest threat is the Chinese and always has been.

[Ignatz]

--Indonesian has always been a liberal muslim country.--

Unless you were unfortunate enough to live in East Timor.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Tonto: DUH!!!!!

Of course. I don't think I've ever seen that movie, but I do remember it from "Sleepless in Seattle." I didn't connect. I think of Cary Grant to be of any earlier generation, not my own.

[Jack is Back!]

iggy,

Portugese Catholic enclave that was always fighting of independence. Now it is. Old history. If it was part of Pakistan, it would have either been totally eliminated or left alone like the NW territorities.

Not a muslim versus christian thing though - more to do with bucking Suharto and the Generals.

[caro]

I think consensus on the cruise was that about Aug /Sept next year, Obama will bomb Iran if he is losing big. Well, maybe a 50/50 bet.

[centralcal]

It wouldn't surprise me, at all, Caro.

[narciso]

Maybe having read Bloodmoney's opening chapters, I'm not so sanguine, the ubiquitous
akbar Ahmed, tries to rationalize the strife
in a review of Inskeep's book on his hometown
but ultimately fails.

[Jack is Back!]

Wolfowtiz calls W a conservative republican:) Woot, woot.

Why not call him America's first Neo-Con POTUS?

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Is there any issue, any bill that Santorum did not author? That seems to be his answer to almost anything.

[Jane]

Paul always sounds like he is whining. It makes him hard to listen to.

[centralcal]

If only Ron Paul could speak without sounding hysterical!

[daddy]

Just checked in to the hotel in Taipei.

In the room turned on the tube and there it is live, the CNN Debate.

Heard the Blitz/Cane exchange (ha!) but then pondered should I sit watching or head downstairs and pig out at the free Breaky before the kitchen closed? Tough call, until I saw Ron Paul's Rant and Huntsman's syrupy ramble, so I verified they had WiFi down in the restaurant and figured the best of both worlds was chowing down while reading you guys doing play by play.

Excuse me a moment while I go back for seconds of the Dim Sum. Burp:)

[centralcal]

Same brain waves shorting out I see, Jane. lol.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

That is the 2nd time where Romney gave a look that is priceless.

[Jane]

Boy sometimes I am very impressed with several of these guys and it always surprises me.

[centralcal]

Oh gawd - Romney is getting hysterical now.

[Jack is Back!]

Did I just hear Newt use the term Six Sigma? Yowza - a corporate culturist in disguise.

But then he can get away with this since he makes so much more sense than Ron Paul. Which leads me to believe that Newt is the guy that begs the debate sponsors to always include Paul in their shows.

Actually, he must be the guy also keeping Huntsman on the shows also.

[narciso]

It helps when you have questioners who have a grasp of policy, which proves how illsuited
Ron Paul is.

[caro]

I can't believe Utah elected Huntsman as gov.

[narciso]

Wehner just finds new ways to tick me off

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Hysterical? Sheesh! Wait for it, 1, 2, 3 ... someone will say that the problem with Romney is he is too wooden.

How 'bout we listen to what they are saying and not how each one individually express it. Paul sounds whiny, Romney hysterical, I think Perry's Texas drawl is terrible, Bachmann's voice is as irritating as nails on a blackboard, Cain's accent is distracting. So what? WE have a baritone speech maker now, we need a leader in 2012.

[Ignatz]

--Not a muslim versus christian thing though - more to do with bucking Suharto and the Generals.--

JiB,
I suspect the Catholic angle had a little something to do with it but I was mostly going for the "non-liberal" angle of "liberal muslim country".

[Jack is Back!]

Cecil, are you there? Finally, a question on entitlement reform and the impact on deficits and debt.

So, Newt brings up Chile. The NYT editorial board's heads are explodiing.

[Ignatz]

You know, I've always felt the problem with Romney is he's kind of like a cigar store Indian.

[Jane]

Sara,

You really don't have to school us on listening. Give it a break.

[Jack is Back!]

iggy,

Sorry, should have clarified - socially liberal like in booze, gambling, dress, fraternization, women's rights (they can drive cars and motorbikes), bikinis, crotchless thongs, etc. Have I missed anything?

[Jane]

Didn't newt just steal Cain's proposal?

[centralcal]

Well, Iggy, he did try really, really hard to show passion, but instead his voice pitched up into Ron Paul territory.

[narciso]

My advice to you, Wolf, is to stop drinking;

Gunny Highway
Wolfie just said "Congressman Cain".. I know he's a Hack, but C'mon!!!!! LOL #cnndebate #tcot

[narciso]

Yeah I noticed that, mostly from his columns, and I think his radio show.

[centralcal]

Narc - very good listening - I completely missed it.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

You really don't have to school us on listening. Give it a break.

Jane: You don't have to take exception to every personal opinion I voice. PERSONAL OPINION!!!!

My opinions are my own. Your opinions are your own. I don't listen to yours, so why do you care what mine are?

I just don't get this from you at all.

[matt]

Pakistan is the ticking time bomb in the Ummah beyond Egypt, Libya, and even Turkey, because they have approximately 30-50 nuclear warheads which they call secure but which may not be. One of the security strategies posited is a hide in plain sight by moving them from point to point in unmarked vans....naw, nothing could go wrong there, could it?

In addition, while there is a majority that just wants to live and let live, the very strong minority want to kill somebody most of the time, especially Indians or infidels of even Muslims of other sects.The Ahmadis and even Sufis are under siege.

Couple this with the batshit craziness and hyperparanoia that permeates the culture and the sheer unbelievable levels of corruption and what is ungovernable will almost certainly explode into utter chaos sooner rather than later.

The Atlantic had a pretty good article on this recently. Fer chrissakes, they're already firing on American troops in Afghanistan on an intermittent basis. Adm Mullin chose his valedictory to blast the Paki leadership.

Their best buddies now are the Chinese, who really don't like them all that much either, but who will use them the same way they do Iran and North Korea to destabilize the West. That is until some Uighur gets ahold of a nuke and detonates it in Beijing or Shanghai.

[Jack is Back!]

Truluck just gave Perry a time to shine on border security.

Perry is much better tonight than any of his other debates but that is just my observation. Also, less attacks on each other tonight except for calling Paul out or him calling someone else out on using our military.

According to Ron Paul, we should not spend a dime on anything, nothing, nada, zilch, nil. We don't even need a government or a security apparatus. I am beginning to think that even Dana Ward may consider Paul for his Anarchist Hall of Fame.

[daddy]

Stephen Greene's drunkblogging is fun tonite too:

"6:24PM Damn, but Perry knows how to wear a suit."

[centralcal]

Did someone just shout out on this thread. I was checking on dinner and heard it in the kitchen?

[Jack is Back!]

Blitzer just changed the subject. It was on legal immigration and now he asks Newt about illegal immigration reminding him of his endorsement of the Reagan amnesty program. But Newt is too smart to get snarky on that.

[Rick Ballard]

"he's kind of like a cigar store Indian"

Heck no. The Goldilocks Optimum is totally dynamic and requires an acute sense of balance coupled with near instantaneous reflexes and the ability to rapidly shift position in order to maintain perfect balance. The outwardly calm demeanor masks a mind that is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.

[Jack is Back!]

Bachman really is pretty stupid for a lawyer.

[Thomas Collins]

It appears as if Perry is getting his money's worth from Mari Maseng, whom Perry hired to help on debating skills.

[narciso]

Weisman's latest touches on this, while the CIA safehouse is set up in Abbotabad, the ISI is sending out teams to spot them, those ISI imbedded with NATO units find ways to tipoff
the Taliban, they hire a former Gitmo detainee to identify any suspect personnel, Weisman has had some very good sources in the past, and his surmises don't seem out of line

[RichatUF]

Rick-

A river of thought? He seems a bit wooden to me.

[Jane]

It wasn't an opinion Sara, it was a schoolmarm instruction. You are entitled to make it, and I am entitles to respond. Since you don't read me I'm a little confuse about why you responded to me.

[Sandy Daze]

TSA==>Thousands Standing Around

(first ever post from amazon kindle fire)

ABO~OMG,
Sandy

[Jack is Back!]

Hey, Sandy

Great post. It worked.

BTW, Frederick and I did the Blue Angels at NAS JAX and he was pysched. Good to hear from you.

Notice no questions about the effect of morale if military pensions are reformed? Of course that and the effect of non-proper materials being discharged into the USS Bush plumbing system.

[Rick Ballard]

Rich,

Pixar is still working on a patch for that.

[Jack is Back!]

Hey, Dave Addington is asking a question.

[narciso]

The Nexus 6, are much more advanced, I read that line, about TSA in Weisman's previous, 'Direct Action'

[caro]

Wolf just changed Addingtons question!

[Sandy Daze]

JiB - Perhaps you might consider a slightly different wording:

"...military pensions de-formed..."

ABO~OMG,
Sandy

[narciso]

That wasn't smart ,Addington will hunt Wolf down for that, he was one of Cheney's top men.

[Sandy Daze]

JiB - Glad for a good Blues show. . . Alas, we were completely rained out.

OMG~ABO,
Sandy

[Jack is Back!]

My God, is Ron Paul sick, like mentally? The best thing that the republicans can do is get him off the stage because the only stuff coming out of this debate is his babbling.

Let him run as a 3rd party. He can only take votes from Obama not a republican/conservative.

[Jack is Back!]

Thiessen has the best question tonight as he should considering his experience and background.

What is the threat we don't know about now?

Rummy is smiling.

[Jane]

I thought Perry, Romney, Newt and Santorum were particularly good tonite. Michelle too, but she never resonates with me.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

It wasn't an opinion Sara, it was a schoolmarm instruction.

Maybe you just went to the wrong schools where they believed in limiting free speech and the expression of opinions and respecting those of others.

Since you don't read me I'm a little confuse

You apparently don't read me or now you are just making things up. But because I am a nice person, let me help you ... I don't listen to you when you are trying to shut down my right to free speech, because I don't have to. I read everybody. I am not afraid to get contaminated by others whose opinion differs from mine.

My point, since you missed it, is that all the candidates tend to tonal problems. Who cares is a question. Here's another one ... why does anyone waste/spend their time on stuff like the nasal qualities of Ron Paul? It isn't his nasal quality that makes him a complete moron when it comes to the subjects of this debate. Calling Romney hysterical instead of intense when he shows some fire on an issue is a waste of time, IMHO. Hopefully, if any candidate shows fire, gets intense, it is MY OPINION that it is those issues that the candidate takes very seriously and perhaps that should be noted before the tonal quality of how the words were said. Hey but that's just me, just sayin'

[Jane]

My point Sara was that you will say anything to try and keep people from criticizing Romney (or ben for that matter) and all that "tonal" stuff is your bullshit cover-up of the fact that you hope we are stupid enough to buy it.

Or maybe you are just drunk.