Republicans Ready to Rumble

by Jim, a Republican blogger

Here's my blow by blow commentary.  I'll try to keep up while I am listening

INTROS

Romney tries to play up "family".  Huckabee - great chuckle with give Hope a chance.  Ron Paul - Champion of the Constitution. :)

WAS INVADING IRAQ MISTAKE?

Romney says it was a non-sequitor - failed to answer the question.  Giuliani believes it was absolutely the right thing to do.  Iraq is the center of the terrorist war against the U.S.?  I guess he didn't read the 9/11 commission report after all, since that reports says there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11.  McCain seems tired and unenthusiastic - did not read national intelligence estimate.  This seems to jibe with his campaign in N.H. which had very few supporters out at the rally.  Brownback brought up the point that Iraq is really 3 factions, and should not necessarily be a single country. 

WHAT IF THE WAR CONTINUES TO GO POORLY 

McCain says we must succeed - not willing to give up in Iraq.  His predictions are certainly doom and gloom if we pull out, but this is not what happened in Vietnam when we pulled out, and who we are trading with now.  Tommy Thompson's brings up his plan to divide Iraq into states, and make a Federal government - something that our country seems to have given up with it's very strong federal government and limited states rights.  It does seem to me to be a reasonable approach if we are going to try to stay there and improve things.  Ron Paul is the sole candidate recommended to come home ASAP - some good applause for his comments. Tommy Tompson made a great statement from Benjamin Franklin that "we have given you a Republic if you can keep it" - I think that time has come to allow the Iraqi's to be on their own.

 IRAN

Brownback - wants aggressive stance.   Hunter - would authorize tactical nuclear weapons.  Giuliani - puts out some really good fear-mongering.   Gilmore - sanctions, all options on the table.  Romney believes we need a strong military to move Islam towards Modernity.  That sounds like code for nation building to me.  They skip over Ron Paul on this one, who would likely take a very contrary view on Iran.  A country that is actually democratic, and it's people have a great like for the U.S., and a disrespect for their own government.  Our aggressive actions are likely to get the Iranian people to back their government against the foreign invaders, rather than try to reform their government.