Electing A Commander-in-Chief

Last night, the Republican presidential candidates took part in a debate featuring national security issues. Broadcast by CNN and moderated by a rapid-fire Wolf "Blitz" Blitzer, the debate covered a lot of ground, from how Islamic terror should be fought to how our southern border should be enforced. All of the candidates were outstanding, but some really stood out. Here are my quick thoughts on their performances:

Newt Gingrich: Newt is the master of detail, history and policy. Nobody can lay a glove on him when he gets on a roll. He dispatched all questions with ease and expertise. His answer about allowing children of law-abiding, longstanding illegals to stay in the U.S. may embroil him in some trouble, but perhaps his gamble was to try to humanize himself. Not sure, but it may be risky. What conservatives like about Newt is that he ISN'T warm n' fuzzy. Maybe he's already running a general election campaign, targeting independents??

Mitt Romney: He got less airtime last night than he usually does. That's a reflection of his slightly slipping poll position vis-a-vis Newt. When he did have the floor, he was polished and displayed a commanding sense of the world and America's place in it. He gave a stronger answer than Newt on illegal immigration, which may help to shore up his standing among conservatives.

Herman Cain: He was much better prepared for last night's debate than he'd been for previous debates. It was a pleasant surprise that he seemed far more agile with tough foreign policy topics, and although he doesn't have the details of policy at his fingertips and seemed a bit hesitant here and there, his performance was more than serviceable.

Michele Bachmann: She was dynamite on that stage. A member of the House Intelligence Committee, she knows her stuff and isn't afraid to show it. She showed particular finesse on the questions about Pakistan, Iran and terrorism. She knows far more about national security issues than Hillary Clinton knew when she ran.

Rick Perry: He turned in a far better debate performance last night than he has in the past, which must be a huge relief to him. He tightened up his response to the illegal immigrant/southern border question, although he said he'd seal the border, which might be tough to do without the fence he says he opposes. But he demonstrated a solid understanding of world dynamics, even if he, like Cain, were sparse on the details. I'm not sure a solid debate performance this late in the game can turn it around for him, but he's still in the hunt.

Ron Paul: He makes an important point that our economic vulnerability thanks to crippling debt is THE major national security threat. If we can't project power because we're an economic basketcase, that's the end of the U.S., the bad guys will advance and the world will convulse. But he goes astray when he refuses to accept a strong and influential American role in the world. Someone who rejects American superpower that obviously will not be elected president by a Republican base.

Rick Santorum: He was excellent, as he usually is, on national security issues. He handled with ease the few questions that came his way and was right in his straightforward analysis of how we should handle terror, Iran and nuclear weapons. It's a shame he's never gained much traction.

Jon Huntsman: His dissertations last night sounded like odes to liberal global-handholding. He referred to "the shining light" or some such thing a few times and spoke of the "global community" etc. In other words, he's still right at home in the Obama administration.

With the exception of the isolationist Ron Paul, any of these candidates would be light years ahead of Obama in terms of protecting and advancing America's interests in the world. We're not just electing a president. We're electing a commander-in-chief. The world is a dangerous place. We need someone who actually believes in and practices American exceptionalism.

Comments

[jay]

Interesting at the Republican debate, several of those who asked the questions were Former Bush's people such as Wolfowitz, and one from the Koch brother's Heritage foundation.
NEOCONs

[LongRifle]

I would esp be thankful if the historian Newt pointed out to the masses that HISPANICS are the original settlers to Texas & the other border states fighting illegals on THEIR OWN..........
TBSH

The original settlers on the Border states were Apaches, Commanches, Navajos, etc.--
They began fighting illegal immigration in 1492...

[jay]

pamela geller and her halal trukeys.
Butterball states that only countries that reguire halal turkeys will receive same.
So, it doesn't apply to the states.

Conservatives: " I don't care what they say. I want to believe that they are. So, they are. I'm conservative. I'm Bullwinkle's Know-it-all!
So, there! And, by the way, you're gay for disputing me! How do you like them apples?"

[jay]

They began fighting illegal immigration in 1492...

Posted by: LongRifle | November 24, 2011 at 12:46 AM

DJ88 isn't gonna like that. he wants a one race nation.
---------------------------------------------------

Should have been,"require" in previous post. But, the only one who counts is UG, anyway. so, who cares?

[jay]

UG, your turn to post,now!

[jay]

had to post this:

What do you get when you combine the most outlandish gaffes of Anne Coulter, the most awkward monologues of Sarah Palin, the senility of the crazy McCain Lady, filter any remaining logic out of it and give it a keyboard in the Bronx?

The answer is the looniest blogger ever: Pamela Geller. If you are unaware of who Pamela Geller is then we apologize for bringing her being into your world, but she is all too familiar to those of us who browse the internet and have come across her shrill and plainly insane blogging on Atlas Shrugs. (Given the amount of hallucinations on that blog, Atlas Shrugs should properly be renamed Atlas Drugs).

http://www.loonwatch.com/2009/08/pamela-geller-the-looniest-blogger-ever/

So, why are conservative idols, bloggers and such, all loons?

Coulter,
Palin
Bachmann
Geller
that's just the female side.

[xbjllb]

"UG, your turn to post,now!" - Jay

Notice: Monicamemo's paid whores are off today. It's a holiday, upon which they will get roaring drunk in a futile attempt to forget the emptiness of their own lives, and roaring drunk is not the best of condition to be posting on Monicamemo.

Although it certainly never stopped a single one of them at anytime in the past.

What should stop them today is a lack of being paid for today.

[xbjllb]

To everyone else? HAPPY THANKSGIVING. There is much to celebrate this year in the self-destruction of the fascist white right wing GOP.

[Luis Vicente Gutiérrez]

"I would esp be thankful if the historian Newt pointed out to the masses that HISPANICS are the original settlers to Texas & the other border states fighting illegals on THEIR OWN.........."
TBSH

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Todavía no se le gringos estúpidos oído hablar de La Raza o la Reconquista?

Imbéciles

[gringoman]

"I would esp be thankful if the historian Newt pointed out to the masses that HISPANICS are the original settlers to Texas & the other border states fighting illegals on THEIR OWN.........."
TBSH

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Todavía no se le gringos estúpidos oído hablar de La Raza o la Reconquista?

Imbéciles

Posted by: Luis Vicente Gutiérrez | November 24, 2011 at 08:42 AM

Senor, tu no es estupido, si?

Por eso, digame, por favor: La Raza, es racista?

[jay]

Gringo:

Sandusky a Republican? need to find someone else to "link" to the memo truthsayers!

[xbjllb]

"Por eso, digame, por favor: La Raza, es racista?" - Gringoman

No importante. Unless the democrats, the ONLY party listening to the MAJORITY of the people, the 99% and not the 1%, and the ONLY party with Hispanic participation besides a handful of useful collaborators like El Marko, builds the wall as the majority of Americans want, A WALL WILL NEVER BE BUILT.

For a wall must be built for CULTURAL and SANE reasons like public works job creation and the springing up of entire safe cities along this side of the border; not INSANE, HATEFUL, AND RACIST reasons. Reasons I've outlined time and time and time again. It has nothing at all to do with race: but everything to do with preserving the melting pot culture in America AS IT IS. Every previous wave of immigration stopped on its own because they weren't right next door. And that gave each group the full time it needed to fully assimilate and not take over the culture. The wall must be built to PRESERVE DIVERSITY; not destroy it.

That's the sane truthful reason. The others? You hear them every day and read them here. The endless bullshit of how Hispanics are inferior to whites. The "desctruction" of the "white" "race".

And that's all anyone is every going to get from the terminal dying GOP: insanity, hate, and racism.

As Perry has already found out and Gingrinch, in search of Mexican children (as slave labor or otherwise) will SOON find out.

[Luis Vicente Gutiérrez]

We don't need your support, whitey! The future of the USA is a Latino one. Get used to it! Now listen up! XBJ is afraid of a Latino culture because we don't tolerate his beloved homosexual lifestyle like you decadent gringos do. We'll push it back in the closet where it belongs.

So go ahead and build your stupid fence. Are you so naive as to think it will even slow down the Reconquista? LOL! You gringos are so dense.

In fifty years you gringos will be picking OUR lettuce and cleaning OUR toilets.

[Ummahgummah]

And what is your alternative? Just cut spending? No investments other than securing the wealthy stay...wealthy, while the rest of the country suffers? Common sense doesn't register to you guys, huh?

Posted by: Rafe | November 23, 2011 at 11:31 AM

--

MORE LIBERAL TALKING POINTS!!!

FLAMING LIBERAL TALKING POINTS.

Only a FLAMING LIB would call more taxation "investments".

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DEFINE AS "WEALTHY", lib? Give us an EXACT NUMBER, one for a single, another for a married couple.

Can't wait to hear this one.

.

[jay]

Only a FLAMING LIB would call more taxation "investments".

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DEFINE AS "WEALTHY", lib? Give us an EXACT NUMBER, one for a single, another for a married couple.

Can't wait to hear this one.

.

Posted by: Ummahgummah | November 24, 2011 at 03:03 PM

Only a conservative will believe that cutting taxes to the bone would help jobs and the economy.

It NEVER has and it NEVER WILL!

ONLY helps the wealthy.

[jay]

We don't need your support, whitey! The future of the USA is a Latino one. Get used to it! Now listen up! XBJ is afraid of a Latino culture because we don't tolerate his beloved homosexual lifestyle like you decadent gringos do. We'll push it back in the closet where it belongs.

So go ahead and build your stupid fence. Are you so naive as to think it will even slow down the Reconquista? LOL! You gringos are so dense.

In fifty years you gringos will be picking OUR lettuce and cleaning OUR toilets.

Posted by: Luis Vicente Gutiérrez | November 24, 2011 at 02:54 PM

that's why Latinos are enouraging their families to have has many kids as possible. Average hispanic family has 5-6 kids.

Take over the country by numbers.

[xbjllb]

"XBJ is afraid of a Latino culture because we don't tolerate his beloved homosexual lifestyle like you decadent gringos do." - LUIS VICENTE GUTIÉRREZ

You're kidding, right? There are more out gay kids in the hispanic community than in any other, as well as far more sex abuse victims. male and female, because of drunk uncles molesting them then even in the Catholic Church at large. Stats don't lie, hermano.

Really, you could be far more aware of your own culture before you step in your own sh*it.

[LongRifle]

Things are getting worse in America. Far too many people are struggling just to survive. This is beyond petty politics. This problem needs to be solved by human beings coming together and helping those less fortunate; not throwing them under the dinner table...

http://www.kotatv.com/story/16124151/one-in-six-americans-struggle-to-put-food-on-the-table

[Bleh!]

"Things are getting worse in America."

You ain't seen nothin' yet.

[xbjllb]

Sadly, I'm inclined to agree. The right wing isn't rich enough. And still very hungry. No amount of blood satisfies them.

[CRAIG PREWITT]

MONICA......... HOW COULD YOUR FATHER LET YOUR SISTER MARRY ALAN COLMES