A reader writes:
You've probably had a flood of e-mails already, but the three Homer Stokeses onstage were Brownback, Huckabee, and Tancredo. Brownback and Huckabee didn't surprise me, but I wasn't sure just how big of a moonbat Tancredo actually was until then.
More unqualified offerings from the libertarian wing of your readership: I love Ron Paul, but I think he may have beaten Kucinich for '08 candidate who does the worst on television.
I think the second-tier candidate who did the best job out there tonight was Gilmore. If he can't win, perhaps he can at least kneecap the odious Romney when the field starts to thin.
Overlooked line of the night goes to Tancredo for raising the entitlement specter. Let's hope that problem does get some airtime during the general election.
Yes: kudos to Tancredo for raising the entitlement issue. Boos to McCain for dodging it when asked what he'd cut. Bonus points for Giuliani on Sunnis and Shiites. And Ron Paul actually mentioned a minor issue called habeas corpus. It is depressing, isn't it, that the forces within the GOP that are now committed to individual liberty are on the cranky fringe. No mention of torture, of course. Part of me is relieved. You know the base wants much more of it and that Romney would be all too ready to get the hoods and chains out.
Bottom line: maybe I already know that Romney is a capable candidate and so was unimpressed. But his boundless opportunism really gives me the creeps. He's Clintonian in the worst way. I liked McCain tonight - and felt I could support him again (maybe it was the company). Rudy fizzles upon further inspection. The question I would have asked: Mr Brownback, do you believe in the Rapture?