Time to Stick My Head in the Oven

Okay so we all saw Perry's big announcement today coming.  You can't hang around in last place in the polls for too long before you become a drain on the whole system.  I hate that Perry's bid played out the way that it did but what are you going to do?  Wasn't his time.

Perry had improved a great deal since those first debates but maybe it was too little too late.  I think also that too many people listened to Rick Perry and heard George W. Bush and they just aren't over Bush yet.  Although I still think history will redeem Bush in the end.  Somewhat.

So where to go from here?

Pundette has gone to Rick Santorum.   Stacy McCain has been with Rick Santorum since Herman Cain dropped out.  Legal Insurrection is still with Newt.

I don't know where I'm going right now.

To be honest, I just don't like any of them.  I don't.

How can the Republican establishment have farked this up so badly?  That's a rhetorical question - you don't have to answer it.  It's because they're the Republican establishment.  All this PR about "we really do have a strong field of candidates" is just crap.  I don't even want to begin listing my grievances with these candidates.  Not enough time and it's all been said. 

Is it too late to get Michele Bachmann back?

I suspect that the Democrats are more afraid of Newt than anyone else and you can call me a conspiracy theorist if you want to but I think that's in part what pulled Marianne Gingrich back into the limelight.   I don't think Team Obama wants to debate Newt.

And when in the hell did debating skills become a prerequisite for running for president, anyway?  Speaking skills are important but so is executive experience, intelligence, foreign policy knowledge and experience, business acumen, character, integrity, and honor.

Coming into this election I've always said that "a dust bunny could beat Obama," because WTF is he going to run on?  His record?  His job killing, debt hiking, food stamp raising, partisan, scandal ridden record?  Seriously? 

But here's the Republican establishment about to hand it right back to him.

I'm going to stick my head in the oven.  Maybe there's a beer in there.  And a match.



(Cross posted at Not One Red Cent!)

Back to Regular Programming

I'm back at work now - we had inservice today and the kids come tomorrow so my blogging will be light for a day or two.  Some quick links to check out:

On Obama's recess appointments - check out Doug Ross:

In other words, through his blatantly lawless activities, the President has initiated a Constitutional crisis.

And we all know that if a Republican President had even publicly considered this option, legacy media would be beating the war-drums for impeachment.

It's high time the clueless John Boehner and Mitch McConnell started playing hardball. Real hardball. Impeachment-style hardball. Heaven knows, there are enough charges to impeach five or six presidents at this point.

This is a big deal, folks, but you won't likely hear much about it from the legacy media.  If there's a Republican candidate worth his salt he'll take this drum and bang it through the election.

Professor Jacobson has something to say about the appointments as well.

Speaking of elections, check out Pundette's coverage of Rick Perry's indecision; and ironically, it's the second reference to "Casey at the Bat" that I've heard today (on totally unrelated stories).

Stacy McCain had terrific coverage of the caucuses last night. 

Obama felt the need to speak to Iowa Democrats last night in a weirdly sketchy video feed; he's trying to reinvigorate his base from four years ago:

"[O]ne of the things that we learned four years ago was that when people at grassroots level are getting involved and they're getting engaged, and they're feeling empowered and they're joining hands with each other -- that's a powerful force," the president said.

A group at "grassroots level" is empowering and wonderful as long as they're for him; if it's the Tea Party, well, that's something else again...

Donald Douglas has his own ideas about Michele Bachmann's collapse.

Hang in there.  I'm busy getting to know 65 new sophomores and teaching them the lay of the land in room M205, but I'll be back online shortly.

Iowa Caucus Day: News, Aggregation and Updates

Scroll for updates throughout the day.

Iowans are heading out to the caucuses tonight.  The weather is beautiful and should not be a factor in keeping folks from going out.  The governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad said on Fox News this morning that he is expecting record turnout.

One thing to remember about Iowa is that the percentage of people that go out and caucus is relatively small.  I have several family members in various parts of Iowa and I asked them about the phone calls and the caucuses.  Only one of them even knows anyone who actually goes to caucus.  All of them have been barraged by phone calls and most of those have been robocalls.  The robocalls are not particularly effective: it's easier to hang up on a computer than to a person.  As for support for a particular candidate, I got a variety of answers, including undecideds. 

That is the thing about this particular caucus event, I think, that is interesting.  There are so many undecideds.  This thing could be a blowout for one candidate or a photo finish among three.  Who knows?

Throughout the day I'll be posting updates and linking to others who are covering the event.

Legal Insurrection is doing the same thing and he will have a live event tonight.

Stacy McCain has been traveling through Iowa with the Santorum camp and he has terrific coverage and photos.

Real Clear Politics has an Iowa Caucus Primer on how the process works.

Here is Rick Perry's latest ad hammering Rick Santorum on earmarks.  Effective or no?



Stay tuned for updates.

If you're blogging the caucuses, let me know and I'll link you.

Update 1:  Yet another reason why the caucuses are so unpredictable:

Update 2:  Pirate's Cove has analysis of what comes after Iowa.  I don't necessarily agree with this, but we shall see:

By Wednesday, we could see Bachmann and Perry out, though they say they are going to South Carolina and bypassing New Hampshire. Santorum should survive. When it comes to Newt and Paul, we’ll have to see.

It will be interesting to see if the surge of volunteers that arrived Friday in support of Rick Perry pays off.   Also, Perry has the cash to stay in for a while.  I don't think Iowa will be his Waterloo.

Update 3:  Megyn Kelly is broadcasting today from the Iowa state capitol building.  It's one of the most beautiful state capitol buildings I've ever seen.  Here's a YouTube video someone shot of the inside.  

And, speaking of looking past Iowa, the GOP brain trust is already considering VP candidates:

While over a dozen names were suggested by the strategists, some with the campaigns, four top the list: South Dakota Sen. John Thune and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, both surrogates for Romney, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the most talked-about Hispanic in Washington, and former Secretary of State Condi Rice.

Others receiving multiple votes were Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

"Romney is likely to have to go right," said one former Bush aide. "He'll need somebody to generate enthusiasm from the base. Rubio fits the bill."

What do you think?   They're writing off Santorum as the nominee, obviously, as assuming it's Mittens even before a single vote is cast.

Update 4:  The Des Moines Register has a handy guide and graphic to keep a vote tally.  But...notice the ad at the top of the page.  A glimpse of what is to come:

Update 5:  Rush Limbaugh replayed the audio of Perry's smack down of Mike Allen.  "This is NOT somebody stupid," he said.  Rush said, "I LIKE Rick Perry!"  Rick Perry makes him smile, he says.  Rush also said he LOVES Rick Santorum and says that any of these contenders would be great.  (Even Ron Paul?)

The Perry camp is fired up.  He gave a motivational speech to his volunteers this morning:

“This election is about stopping a president of the United States and his administration that is abusing the Constitution of this country, that is putting America on a track to bankruptcy, and folks, we’re going to take America back. That’s what this is about,” Perry told the crowd as it gave him a standing ovation. “It is a powerful moment in America’s history, and you are on the front lines.”

Of course, then he compared it to Omaha beach which is, I think, an unfortunate comparison.   He's trying to make the case that this is historic, critical even.   Considering the catastrophic losses on D-Day, this might be an overreach.

Update 6:  Ed Rollins, talking to Shepard Smith on Fox, says Michele Bachmanm will come in last tonight (no organization and no money, he says) and that the winners will be Romney and Ron Paul.  Santorum has momentum "but no organization" he says.  When asked about Rick Perry, Rollins says if Perry comes in 4th, he actually stands the best chance to challenge Romney because of his money and organization.  Perry may come in first or second in South Carolina.  "His campaign is very alive," he says.  Rollins says Perry has done a much better job than people recognize.  He doesn't see much for Santorum after Iowa.

As for Newt, Rollins says Newt isn't raising money and is going to have a hard time in New Hampshire.

Rollins predicts Ron Paul will stay in the race to the end and should be treated with respect, but there's no path to the win for him.

Update 7:  Ouch.  Stacy McCain:

"...the Perry campaign is a lamentable joke here in Iowa. I’ve been talking to experienced Iowa Republicans during my travels the past week, and experienced observers are united in the opinion that Perry has wasted millions of dollars on a campaign that has done him more harm than good."

Stacy is, of course, in the Santorum camp and is not a Perry fan as you can tell.

Update 8:  Left Coast Rebel has a live-updating event going on as well.

On Fox, Shep Smith talks to Debbie Wasserman Schultz who says the Republican field is "interchangeable" and "lackluster".   Shep points out Obama's broken promises and DSW says that is "simply not true."  She says he ended the Iraq war which was one of his promises.  He passed Obamacare, she says, yet Shep points out it isn't a single payer system that the base wanted.

The woman is delusional.  She says Obama has turned the economy around and that unemployment is declining.  The Republicans have embraced the Tea Party and "out right winged each other" throughout the campaign.

She says Obama will win "handily."

Silly.

Update 9:  Today's Gallup poll:

Update 10:  Rick Santorum's sweater vest is the new fashion icon.  You too can have a sweater vest:



Update 11:  Rick Perry's just released video:



(H/T: Pundette)

Update 12:  One of our local news stations is conducting its own "caucus," sort of like the Drudge Caucus, I guess.  The results so far?

Update13:  Michelle Malkin has a great Iowa caucus day post.

Phew. Are you ready? There are an estimated 614,000 active registered Republicans in Iowa. A small fraction of them will turn out tonight to vote in the first-in-the-nation GOP presidential caucus. The anticipated top three placers are a toss-up. Sunday’s PPP poll had it 20/19/18 for Paul, Romney and Santorum.

She links to Stacy McCain's Santorum coverage.  Both Malkin and Stacy are NOT Rick Perry fans which might explain why they don't link me. (Just kidding - Stacy has linked me often in the past.  It's been a while since I got a Malkin link.)

Update 14:   Rick Perry gets emotional during a speech today praising America's veterans:

Perry was joined on Tuesday by supporter Dan Moran, a Marine veteran who suffered third-degree burns on his body from a bomb explosion in Afghanistan. Perry, a former Air Force pilot, commended Nationwide for its focus on hiring veterans before turning to Moran.

“He understands the importance of selfless … selfless sacrifice,” Perry said with a pause, wiping a tear from his left eye.

Emotion.

Update 15:  As the caucus results come in, here is a live, interactive map.  And remember, Professor Jacobson will be hosting a live event. SIGIS will continue posts as well.  The Des Moines Register also has a place where you can watch results come in but you have to put up with all the Obama advertising on the page.

Update 16:  Here is a timeline of the upcoming primaries.  Next event:  January 10 - New Hampshire.

Update 17:  I'm closing out this post now and heading over to Legal Insurrection to participate in his live event.  Follow me over there.   And thanks for stopping by this post today!  I appreciate it.

Caucus Crash Course

If you're wondering how the Iowa caucuses work, The Washington Times has a primer for you:

Only registered Republicans may participate, but with an ID that shows Iowa residency and age, voters can register at door, allowing for crossover participation. Democrats are known to have switched sides, if only for a night, to caucus with Republicans. And vice versa. And it’s legal.


The Democrats have a convoluted caucus process that involves good old-fashioned arm-twisting and can run into the wee hours of the night. It won't this year because Obama has no challenger.  The Republican Caucuses, however, are a hybrid: part poll and part GOP meeting. Designated supporters of each candidate are allowed to campaign vigorously, making a speech on why their candidates deserve to win that evening’s votes. This is to convince the fence sitters to go with their candidate or to win over someone who is torn between two candidates.

Then Iowans vote by secret ballot. They are given blank sheets of paper with no candidate names on them. They write down their choice and the GOP at each precinct tabulates the results as they are phoned in. The results are then released to the media.

Mitt Romney seems pretty confident.

Newt says "I don't think I'm going to win," and then says it was a "compound sentence structure" that the media just didn't get.  I've been teaching English for almost 20 years and I'm not aware that "I don't think I'm going to win" is a compound sentence, but hey, Newt is the intellectual.  Not me.

Michele Bachmann won "the coffee bean caucus" but Sarah Palin says it's not her time.

Rick Perry is still hammering Santorum and is looking at this think like a long distance race.  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is with Perry tonight and says:

“It is time for us now to take all of this excitement and energy and turn it into real work,” Jindal said. “It is time for us to get our neighbors, friends, family, everybody we know out and make sure that we help to elect Rick Perry as the next president of these United States of America.”

The Duggar family has joined the Santorum camp and the media is thick around the candidate.

Ron Paul is oozing confidence .

All in all I'd say there's a lot of nervous energy in Iowa tonight.

Stay with SIGIS tomorrow for caucus coverage and up to the minute reports.

Live-Blogging the Sioux City Debate UPDATED

We're about half an hour from debate time.  I've been busy this evening wrapping gifts and making a rum cake so I haven't done much debate prep.  I'll send you over to Pundette for that who has two excellent posts (and like me, seems to still be pulling for a Rick Perry resurgence).  Also check out Professor Jacobson who is also blogging the debate tonight and has some excellent debate prep.

Meanwhile, I better go eat some dark chocolate covered espresso beans if I'm going to stay awake for this thing.

8:10:   Wow.  No fluffy introductions or battle music.  Straight to the questions.  Brett Baier asks Newt if he's electable.  Newt's response?  Merry Christmas!  Oh, wait.  Now Newt is saying he should get the nod because he can debate Obama.  Yeah, well, that might make for interesting TV but ...

Newt is trying to convince us he's conservative.  I'm not convinced.  So far he's rattling off credentials that show he's been in Washington a long freaking time.  Not a plus for me.

Megyn Kelley points out to Ron Paul that lots of folks don't think he can get elected.  Ron Paul says anybody up there can beat Obama and the crowd loves that.

Rick Santorum is here sporting a peppermint striped tie.  That is all.

Mitt smirks.  Irritating.

Mitt touts himself as a private sector dude.

Bachmann has an up-do tonight.  Are you too conservative, she's asked.  Seriously?

To Perry:  Why aren't you a great debator?  How can you possibly run for president against Obama because of your lousy debating skills?  Perry:  I'm gettin' better at this and I hope Obama and I get to debate a lot!

He actually is getting better at debates, but that's not saying much.  He pulls the Tebow card.  "I hope I'm the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses."  WTF?

Huntsman is orange.

"We're getting SCREWED as Americans!" says Huntsman as he notes that we're "on the cusp of a third government shut-down."

8:20:  A gridlock in Washington question with a 30 second response time down the line.

Newt:  We have "a Saul Alinsky radical" as commander in chief....

Perry:  Obama is the biggest example of "on the job training" we've ever seen and we need someone with executive experience that knows how to lead.

Romney doesn't like the 30 second limit.

Mitt:  "This president doesn't know how the economy works.  I believe to create jobs you have to have created jobs."

Chris Wallace gets a Fannie Mae question and is asked how that is not hypocritical to his current stance.  "I was a private citizen engaged in business!"  "I worked for years for Habitat for Humanity!" 

To Ron Paul, a question about his negative Newt ads.  Chris Wallace is inviting a throw-down between candidates here and I guess Newt will jump all over him for that before long.

Mitt looks confused as Ron Paul babbles.

Newt:  I did no lobbying of any kind for any organization.

Bachmann:  He cashed checks from Freddie Mac!  He's defending the continuing practice of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae!  I'm SHOCKED!

Newt:  That's not true!  "Sometimes people ought to have FACTS before they make wild accusations."

Throw down.

8:45:  Had a computer freeze and lost a bunch of fascinating live-blog commentary but Rick Perry had a good burst there for a minute.   He said, in response to the comments about Newt's lobbying activities that the fact that we can't tell the difference between "lobbying" and "consulting" is exactly what's wrong with Washington right now.  He cited his part-time Congress meme and got wild applause from the audience.  When it was pointed out to him that Congress worked 152 days last year and he was asked, "How much more part time do you want them to be?", Perry replied, "I would suggest to you 140 days every other year which is what we do in Texas."  Wild applause.  Good showing by Perry.

8:50:  I'll update more often since my computer is acting funky.  

8:55:  Much discussion on Newt's lame-brain plan to have Congress oversee justices.  Panel question:  Favorite Supreme Court justice?

Perry:  We should no longer have life-time terms on the bench.  He likes Alito, Thomas and Roberts.  As does Mitt.  And Newt.  He says Scalia is probably the most intellectual.  Ron Paul:  They're all good and they're all bad.  Bachmann:  Scalia at the top of her list.  Likes Roberts, too.  Huntsman:  The great thing about this country is that we have rule of law!

Break.

What was up with that favorite justice question anyway?  Did they think anyone would say Ginsberg?  Lame.

9:05:  Hour number two.  Here we go.  Foreign policy.  And of course to Ron Paul first.

Why no Fast and Furious questions, by the way?

Ron Paul doesn't believe Iran has nukes.  No UN evidence!  It's all war propaganda!

He scares the hell out of me.

9:15:  Another computer freeze.

Ron Paul babbled for several minutes about Iran not having nukes and Bachmann stared at him like he's an alien.  Ron Paul is just dangerous.  Period.

Romney had a good answer on American strength through the military.  A strong military keeps other nations from testing us, he said.

Ron Paul is about to stroke out about a drone flying over Iran and seems convinced that we just want to go bomb Iran for the hell of it.

9:16:   Bachmann says Ron Paul is dangerous.  She points out the IAEA report and Ron Paul says "There's no UN report!"  He falls back to Cuba and the Bay of Pigs.  No real correlation there but he's stickin' to it.

From that crazy train we go back to Newt.  A UN question.  Newt wants to dramatically reduce our reliance on it.  Amen to that.

9:17:   Huntsman says fix problems at home before we fix problems overseas.  He gets double dinged with the timer.

To Perry, a question on Syria.  At what point should the United States consider military action there?  Perry restates his previous no-fly position and says Obama has the "most muddled" foreign policy he's ever seen in his lifetime.

Cavuto moves on to energy issues and has a Keystone pipeline question.  To Newt:  How should Republicans force the issue?  Newt:  I'm trying not to appear "zany!"  Heh!

So then Newt proceeds to blast Obama's position on Keystone.  "Utterly irrational" is what Newt says Obama's position on that is.  "It makes no sense to any normal, rational American."  Wild applause.

Cavuto:  You didn't answer my question.

Newt:  Attach it to a middle class tax cut, send it to the president and force him to veto it.  Don't back down.

9:23:   To Huntsman:  Does the need to protect land every trump the need to create jobs?  He's babbling something about disrupting the oil monopoly.  We have to have natural gas, he says.  He isn't answering the environment question.

To Bachmann:  What would be an acceptable period for oil drilling to cease (following a similar accident as the BP accident).  She says the moratorium hurt the economy more than the original disaster.  Keystone is extremely important, she says.  "If I was president of the US, I wouldn't have taken the position he did."  It was all political to appease the environmentalists, she says.  He's put his re-election over jobs.

9:27:   Perry:  Today is the 220th anniversary of the signing of the Bill of Rights.  I like the 10th Amendment a lot.

He's answering a tax policy question and Solyndra.  "Government shouldn't be pickin' winners and losers from Washington!"

9:32:   A border question for Perry.  Finally!  A Fast and Furious question!  Audience applauds.  "Are you and other Republicans politicizing this issue?"  Perry says as president, if his Attorney General DIDN'T know about such an operation he would have him resign immediately.  Applause.

Perry says despite what the president says, our border is NOT safe.  Venezuela has the largest Iranian embassy in the world, he says.  (Ron Paul would not see a problem with that.)

Oh!  Rick Santorum is still here.  He'd fire his Attorney General and not give him a chance to resign.

9:35:  To Romney:  "Why would illegal immigrants voluntarily leave America" and return to their country of origin in order to apply for legal status when you said you aren't going to round them up?

Because they'll have a plastic card.  If they're legal, they'll have a card.  If you hire them and they don't have a card, MAJOR sanctions.  In other words, they won't be able to work so they'll go home.  Back of the line.

9:38:  Newt stands by his if-you've-been-here 25 years or more thing.  He'd drop all the lawsuits against Arizona, etc.

Huntsman says we don't need to pander; Republicans need to stay true to their values.  The president has screwed up the economy so bad, he says, nobody is coming anymore anyway.

9:40:  Abortion, gay rights, and guns.  Flip-flop question to Romney.  Are you a flip-flopper?  Romney takes exception to the gay rights issue:  I am firmly against people being discriminated against because of their sexual orientation but I am against gay marriage.  Hunh?

9:42:  I'm pro-gun!, Romney says.  Wallace points out he supported a 5 day waiting period and an assault weapons ban.

9:44:  Romney:  I have been a champion of traditional marriage.

To Bachmann:  Wallace now pits her against Newt on the issue of when life begins.  Bachmann says Newt opted not to defund Planned Parenthood when he was Speaker.  She also throws partial birth abortion at him.

Newt:  "Sometimes Congresswoman Bachmann does not get her facts just right."  He believes life begins at conception, he says.  Says he is against experimentation on embryos.  Bachmann insists on defending herself:  she says "I'm a serious candidate for president of the United States and my facts are accurate."  Good for her.

9:50:  Brett Baier:  Reagan's 11th commandment:  Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.  You've all broken that.  Who is less electable than Obama?

Santorum:  Let's find out who has the best record; who can stand up.  Who fights for the principles we believe in?

Perry:  The Republican chairman said that, not Reagan, he says.  Perry gives kudos to the other candidates.

Romney:  Obama has a billion dollars to go after me or whoever the nominee is, but it's Obama we have to be talking about - not each other.

Newt:  Overall I've tried very hard to talk about big solutions.  All these people would be better than Obama.

Paul:  Iran doesn't have nukes!  No, kidding.  The media hasn't asked enough questions and we have to fill in!  We have to draw the line and not hit below the belt. 

Bachmann:  Reagan brought clarity to the opponents in his primaries.  "Are we better off today than we were four years ago under Jimmy Carter?"  We have to ask ourselves if we are better off.

Huntsman:  I worked for Reagan!  Debate is good.  I'm orange!

*Sigh.

Good night for Rick Perry when he got air time.  Romney held his own.  Slow and steady.  Paul is crazy as a run over dog.  Bachmann was very strong.  Very strong. 

So glad this is the last debate of the year.

Peace.

I'm Running for Mayor of South Podunk: Immigration and the Republican Field

Newt caused quit a stir at the foreign policy debate with his stance on immigration (emphasis mine):

So I think you've got to deal with this as a comprehensive approach that starts with controlling the border, as the governor said. I believe ultimately you have to find some system -- once you've put every piece in place, which includes the guest worker program, you need something like a World War II Selective Service Board that, frankly, reviews the people who are here. 


If you're here -- if you've come here recently, you have no ties to this country, you ought to go home. period. If you've been here 25 years and you got three kids and two grandkids, you've been paying taxes and obeying the law, you belong to a local church, I don't think we're going to separate you from your family, uproot you forcefully and kick you out.

The Creeble Foundation is a very good red card program that says you get to be legal, but you don't get a pass to citizenship. And so there's a way to ultimately end up with a country where there's no more illegality, but you haven't automatically given amnesty to anyone.

Gingrich was referring to The Krieble Foundation plan, here.

Newt's idea of a "Board" to review people is rather odd, it seems.  Mark Steyn makes the point:

So the North Podunk Town Meeting could vote to deny you your Green Card but ten miles down the road the burghers of South Podunk could vote to give one to your cousin? That sure sounds like a plan.

It’s a tribute to Mitt Romney’s soporific caution and Herman Cain’s blithe indifference to the bit on the map marked Rest of the World that Newt is now what passes for the GOP’s deep thinker.

And why should this be the problem of the folks in South Podunk, anyway?  Maybe Newt hasn't thought that one through.

And is Newt offering amnesty as Bachmann claims...:

Well, I don't agree that you would make 11 million workers legal, because that, in effect, is amnesty. And I also don't agree that you would give the DREAM Act on a federal level. And those are two things that I believe that the speaker had been for, and he can speak for himself.

And as Romney claims...:

 “Newt Gingrich supported the 1986 amnesty act, and even though he conceded that was a mistake, he said that he was willing to repeat that mistake by extending amnesty to immigrants who are illegally in the country today," Romney adviser and spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said in the spin room following the AEI/Heritage Foundation debate in Washington, DC.

I don't think Newt is offering amnesty to all.  He said, "there's a way to ultimately end up with a country where there's no more illegality, but you haven't automatically given amnesty to anyone."


Andrew McCarthy says Newt is just offering "common sense":

All he said was, “Let’s be humane in enforcing the law.” That was my reaction last night when Newt Gingrich argued that the federal government should refrain from deporting illegal immigrants who had been in the U.S. for many years if the effect would be the break up of a family.

I did not take him to be proposing a new law conferring amnesty. To do what the former Speaker proposed would require no change in U.S. law. All you’d need is the sensible application of prosecutorial discretion.

Part of the argument, though, seems to be about "magnets."  Romney fired back at Newt during the debate and insisted that not to deport them all would be legitimizing a magnet and serve as an incentive for others to come:

Look, amnesty is a magnet. What when we have had in the past, programs that have said that if people who come here illegally are going to get to stay illegally for the rest of their life, that's going to only encourage more people to come here illegally. 

Andrew McCarthy again:

In my mind, if you are in the country without authorization and we elect not to use our power to kick you out, you are the recipient of humane treatment and a very valuable benefit. You don’t rate more than that. We simply leave you alone: You don’t get the windfall of some sort of legal status, we don’t make it easier for you to work, and it’s not our job to relieve your anxiety over your status — you brought that anxiety on yourself when you entered or stayed illegally. If being here without authorization is causing you grief, go home and try to come back through the legal process. If you don’t want to do that, you takes your chances — period.

Now that, to me, is common sense.  I'm for the McCarthy plan!  We leave you alone.  If you're here illegally, you don't get free social services, you don't get to vote, you don't get a driver's license, you don't get in-state tuition in Texas or any other state.  If you're a criminal, terrorist, drug user, or other burden on society, we'll use our resources to deport you.  Is that a "magnet"?  Probably.  So secure the border, already.

I think it is, frankly, unrealistic to think that with the current staffing of ICE that we would or could deport every illegal.  I also think Newt makes a bit of sense when he suggests we must be humane about it all. 

It's sort of like this Republican field.  There's no perfect answer.  There's no real conservative option. 

Live-Blogging The National Security Debate

We're about five minutes from kickoff. 

Tonight's debate is sponsored by CNN, the Heritage Foundation, and The American Enterprise Institute.

Debate prep here.

7:05:  Good grief.  War montage opening, dramatic music, and candidate profiles that look like Mission Impossible dossiers.  Live-streaming here.

7:10:   What in the world could they all be taking notes about before the debate even starts?  They're scribbling on their notepads.  Hmmmmm.

Oh good grief; personal intros.  Does anybody not know who these people are?  Can't we just get started?

Finally, first question.  But why oh why must Wolf Blitzer always clarify, rephrase, or parse the question?

The question is about the Patriot Act and Newt explains what we'll "all be in danger" for the rest of our lives.  Be scared.  He would not change the Patriot Act.  Newt:  "I've spent years studying this stuff."  He does make a nice distinction between criminal law where "you're on the defensive" and national security.

Ron Paul, of course, disagrees.  And now his 89 seconds are done.

7:20:  Newt:  I don't want a law that says after you take out an American city, we're going to come find you.  I want a law that says if you try to take out an American city, we're going to stop you.

Bachmann says we've turned national security over to the ACLU and warns against Miranda rights for terrorists.

Mitt gets a question about TSA patdowns.  He says "we can do better" and then decides to answer another question.  He makes a distinction between crime, war, and terror.  "We need tools when war is waged domestically," so that the president can defend the country.  "Yes we'll use the Constitution and criminal law for those who commit crimes," but we'll use a very different form of law for terrorists.

Wolf tosses the TSA question to Perry who wants to privatize it and "get rid of those unions."  He, too, agrees with the Patriot Act and suggests strengthening it.  Perry touts gathering military intelligence around the world and suggests we may be lacking in that these days.

Santorum explains why he supports profiling:  "We should find the bomber, not the bomb."

7:25:  Santorum explains now who he would profile.  Ron Paul is coming unglued.  "What if they look like Timothy McVeigh!?"  They're not terrorists, he says, "they're suspects!"  Lawsy.

Finally to Herman Cain.  Should Muslims get extra screening?  Cain, too, says we could do a whole lot better with TSA.  He also likes privatization.  Cain:  The terrorists want to kill all of us so we should kill them first.  That sound you hear is Ron Paul imploding.

Did Cain just call him Blitz?  Okay.  "Well, since we're on a Blitz debate....!"  Laughter.

Next question regards using an extended drone campaign in Pakistan.  Huntsman says "it must be done."  We don't need 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, he exclaims.

Bachmann would continue aid to Pakistan but "the Obama policy of keeping your fingers crossed" in Pakistan is not working.

Perry says Pakistan has showed us time after time that they can't be trusted.  He's not sending them a dime and the audience applauds.  "If you're not going to be an ally of the United States, don't expect a dime of our citizen's money..."

Bachmann calls this "highly naive...."We're not just writing blank checks," she says, "we're exchanging information."

Huntsman suggests the American people are tired of being in Afghanistan and Mitt challenges him:  Are you suggesting we just pull out next week?, he asks.  Mitt harkens back to what the commanders want.  "I stand with the commanders in this regard," so as to not risk what has been achieved so far.  "The mission is pretty straightforward," Mitt says. 

7:45:  Newt is confused.  He's trying to clarify the question.  He's getting applause on the line that killing bin Ladin in Pakistan drew Pakistan/American relations to a new low.  Once again, Newt stays above the fray.

Sam Adams break.

7:55:  We're to Israel now.  

Rick Perry reasserts the need for a no-fly zone over Syria.

Newt:  We could break the Iranian regime within a year by sabotaging their only refinery and other strategic moves.  Replace the regime without a war and before they get a nuclear weapon.

Bachmann:  Why are we talking about Israel having to make a strike against Iran?  Because Iran wants to eradicate Israel.  Obama has failed, she said.  For 2.5 years, Obama gave Iran the "luxury of time."

Question:  Can the US afford to continue foreign assitance for AIDS, malaria?

Cain:  It may be worthwhile to continue, it may not.  I'd like to see the results.

Ron Paul:  Aid is all worthless; it doesn't do any good.  You take money from poor people in this country and give it to rich people in poor countries.  "Nobody cares about the budget!  Nobody wants to cut anything!"  Endless wars!  OMG!  Panic!

Romney:  They're cutting a trillion dollars out of the defense budget!  We need to protect America and stop ObamaCare!

Paul:  They're not cutting anything out of anything!

Applause.

8:05:   Mitt runs through the list of what programs and weapons are getting cut.  He refocuses on "the failure on the part of the president to lead with strength."

Mitt promises that his first foreign trip will be to Israel.

Perry gets a question on the Super Committee and cuts.  "If you were president of the US, would you compromise with Democrats in Congress to avoid Washington gridlock?"

Perry says the Super Committee was a Super Failure and everyone expected that.  Obama didn't lead.  Perry passed budgets in Texas.  This president has been a failure.  Perry actually seems to be having a pretty good debate, and all that means really, is that he hasn't made a huge gaffe yet.

"If Leon Panetta is an honorable man, he should resign in protest!" (to defense cuts.)

Wolf pulls Perry back to the gridlock question.  Perry says you can work with people on both sides of the aisle, but in this particular case. Obama didn't lead.  Perry says if he had been president, we would never have been in that situation in the first place.

Everyone piles on Obama now. Santorum says all he does is campaign and "he's poisoned the well" in Congress.

Wonderful!  A question about entitlement reform!  Newt likes it.

Newt says entitlement reform could begin with his Social Security reform plan. He cites the Chilean plan.

To Bachmann:  What would you cut first?  She goes back to the Super Committee and drawing lines in the sand.  Sigh.

8:20:  Bachmann:  Our money will be used to grow China's military at the expense of our military.  That should give every American pause.

Interesting.

Border questions.  Perry fields this one.  "It's time for a 21st century Monroe Doctrine."  He explains the border is porous for terrorists working in and through Mexico.  Border security "is paramount" to the security of the "entire Western hemisphere!"  Working with Mexico is important as well as "boots on the ground."  He promises the border "will be shut down and secure" within 12 months of his inauguration. 

Ron Paul is for calling off the drug war.  Eliminate benefits for illegals, like education and free health care.  Paul says the war on drugs is a total failure and that sick people should have marijuana.  "The federal government is over riding state laws" on those matters.  Get rid of alcohol!  he says.

Don't come between me and Sam Adams, Dr. Paul.

Herman Cain:  Yes, an insecure border is a national security threat.  Terrorists have come into this country through Mexico.

Woah.  Cain says the number of people killed in Mexico last year equals the number of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.  Where did that come from?

Rick Perry makes the most intense faces sometimes.

Newt says if you've just come to this country and you have no ties here, you ought to go home.  If you've been here for years and have 3 children and belong to the local church, we're probably not going to separate you from your family.  Give people with engineering degrees, etc, a green card upon graduation!

Bachmann: sounds like amnesty to me!  "I don't agree that we should make 11 million workers who are here illegally, legal."

Newt:  I don't see any reason to punish someone who came here at 3 years of age and wants to serve in the military.

Bachmann:  "We need to move away from magnets...."

Romney is still here!

"Amnesty is a magnet," he says.  The right course is to welcome people legally.  Make an easier, more transparent system. 

Mitt:  "Secure the border, turn off the magnets...".

Newt:  I do not believe that the American people will oust people who have been here their whole lives from this country.  Paraphrase:  I don't believe that the party that says it's the party of the family is going to separate families.

Perry comes after Mitt on magnets.  Please don't bring up the lawn service again.

Perry wants to secure the border first and then put something in place that keeps families together and clean up the process.  Nothing happens until the border is secure, he says.  "Boots on the ground" again.  Drink.

Mitt:  "I'm not gonna draw lines here on who gets to stay and who has to go."  No amnesty.

Commercial break.  You know what that means.

8:50:  Next question is about Syria.  Wolf reframes the question and asks Cain if he'd support a no-fly zone over Syria. 

Nope, he says.

Somebody forgot to tell Cain this is a foreign policy debate; he's back to growing the economy again.

Perry deftly handles his position on the no-fly zone, I think.  It's a weird position, but he explains it well! 

He appears to have studied a bit on foreign policy.  "If we're serious about Iran, we have to be serious about Syria as well.  A no-fly zone is one of a multitude of options...".

How can Ron Paul be so clueless and isolationist!?  Sometimes he says the most naive things ever.

"Taliban doesn't mean they want to come and kill us.  It means they want to kill us over there."  Yes, he really said that.

Mitt:  Good answer.  America leads the free world and the free world follows America.

Mitt is not in favor of a no-fly zone.  Use sanctions and covert actions to obtain a regime change.  He refers to the Syrian Alawites.  I bet Herman Cain doesn't even know what that is.

Perry:  "Get serious about Syria", again.  Tongue twister deftly handled.  Easier to remember than three departments to cut.

Okay well they're wrapping this up.

Newt didn't get as much thunder as I anticipated; could have something to do with being the front runner now.  He's still the smartest person in the room.  Ron Paul got a lot more time than I thought he would/should.  Ditto Huntsman.  Cull the herd.  Perry was actually stronger than I've seen him but not exactly on fire.  Mitt Romney was steady and consistent as always.  He didn't hurt himself, I don't think.  Bachmann was strong.  I guess if there's a loser it's Cain but we expected that.

One more debate in the books.

I'm out.

Bachmann Dissed by Fallon's Band Leader

Classy as ever, Jimmy Fallon's band, The Roots disgustingly dissed Michele Bachmann in her appearance on the show last night:

Republican Presidential Candidate Michele Bachmann emerged for an interview on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" Monday night to the song "Lyin' A** B*tch" by the band Fishbone, Spin Magazine reports. 

It's unlikely that Bachmann, who smiled and waved as the song was played, recognized what was happening - though the (wordless) music certainly sounded out of place.

The dis was intentional:

Prior to show airing, Questlove, the leader of Mr. Fallon’s Late Night band, The Roots, posted on Twitter, “aight late night walkon song devotees: you love it when we snark: this next one takes the cake. ask around cause i aint tweeting title.”

Band leader, Questlove, now says he didn't mean anything by it:

Roots' bandleader Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson said on Tuesday that the song was a 'tongue-in-cheek and spur of the moment decision.

'The show was not aware of it and I feel bad if her feelings were hurt,' Thompson said. 'That was not my intention.'

Really?

Stay classy now. 

Here's the video.  What do you think?

Live-Blogging the WaPo/Bloomberg Debate...Will the Electricity Go Off Again? (UPDATED!)

So I'll watch the Rangers on TV but listen to the debate.  Best of both worlds?  Last time I live-blogged a debate my power went off.  It was a sign from the political gods that I needed to back off.  I did.  The power came back on as soon as the debate was over.  True story.

And not that I want you to leave, but Legal Insurrection is also live-blogging.  I'm in and out over there, too.

As I hear it, Cain is going after Romney tonight.  And Romney is riding high, I guess, after the endorsement by Christie.  As Stacy says, RINOs run in herds.

So stay tuned.  As bitchy as my mood has been, live-blogging of this debate ought to be fun.

Opening:  Here's Charlie Rose setting things. up.  Standard rules.  I have the Rangers on the TV.  Scores posted here too.  Politics and baseball.  All American!   The live-stream on Bloomberg is weird.  Sort of off-sync.

Herman Cain gets first go with an explanation of his 9-9-9 plan.  The candidates are seated at a table this time.  Maybe that'll help Perry not look so blustery.  Perry announces some plan he "put out today" that nobody has heard of yet, it seems.

Romney taking the first shot at Obama.  No executive experience, etc.  Ugh.  I just can't get enthusiastic about Mitt.  He's so bland.

Perry is talking about opening up domestic energy production.  "We've got to have a president that is willing to stand up and pull back those regulations...".  Ah.  Perry says Mitt has had six years to lay out a plan so he, Perry, hasn't had as much time to lay out a plan.  Excuses.

Bachmann gets a question on Wall Street executives.  She pushes back to the federal government who pushed sub-prime loans and the community reinvestment act.  Barney Frank.  Why does Romney always look smug?

7:15:  Newt is here!   "Virtually every American has a reason to be angry."  He says some of the OWS are migrant activists and some are closely aligned with the Tea Party.  Fire Bernanke!  Fire Geithner!  he says.

I'll differ with Newt on the Tea Party comparison.  I don't remember any Tea Party protesters getting arrested for defecating on police cars.

Newt is blasting the media again for not coming after the Fed.

To Santorum:  What would you do RIGHT NOW to create jobs?  "...a pro-manufacturing jobs plan."  What IS that?

To Huntsman.  He says we need to regain our industrial base.  And now everyone is squabbling about who is the natural gas capital.  All that means to me is that we need to drill more.  Open exploration!

Back to Newt on Medicare:  Half of all Medicare spending is done in the last two years of life.  Heh- no wonder ObamaCare has death panels.

Newt points to the new recommendations on prostate testing and he even says "death panels".  Ooooooo.  He says Palin was "attacked unfairly."  Good for Newt.

To Bachmann:  Do you think that Americans are getting the most for their money in Medicare spending?

Bachmann - Medicare is going broke.  We have to deal with it.  "We asked Obama his plan", she says.  Obama "mumbled" and didn't answer.  Bachmann contends that Obama intends for Medicare to collapse so everyone will go into Obamacare.  Good response from her.

Why is Huntsman here?  What's the Rangers score? Rangers are up 1-0!   First inning.

7:25: Huntsman:  I thought 9-9-9 was the price of a pizza!  Much laughter.  Lame.

Cain wants to respond.  "9-9-9 will pass and it's not the price of a pizza."  He comes after Huntsman.  Good for Cain!  Good come back.

The question to Cain is who he goes to for political advice.  "The American people" he says, and he lists well know economists.  He says his 9-9-9 plan did not come off of a pizza box.  Rich Lowrie is his lead economist.

The question to Romney is what would he do differently to avoid a financial crisis.  He claims it's a hypothetical question yet says he would NOT call Geithner and ask him how the economy works.  "Clearly if you think the entire financial system is about to collapse you take steps to keep that from happening."  He says he is not interested in bailing out institutions.

"Would you or would you not be open to another Wall Street bailout?"  No direct answer.  The moderator is arguing with him.  Now two moderators are arguing with him.  Mitt says he would not keep Bernanke.  "I'm not even sure I'm the nominee yet!" he exclaims.  He uses Harvard and Columbia advisors.  Of course.

Charlie Rose:  "As far as you're concerned there is no institution too big to fail."  Romney says bailouts of individual institutions do not interest him.

Cain says he agrees with Romney on bailouts.  The money was discretionary and not done equitably.  "The administration was at fault," he says.    So he supports bailouts?  If done equitably?

Newt jumps in.  "We are not any better prepared today for a crisis of that scale..." because the same people are in charge.

Is Perry still there?

7:35:   Ron Paul:  "This whole system is all messed up."  Dude.

Commercial break.  Someone has gone to wake Perry up.

7:40:   Out come the Reagan video clips.  It's out of context on tax hikes.  And Perry gets the first lob.  Perry has read Reagan's diary.  Perry seems to know this is out of context but can't articulate it well.  He goes on to explain the problems in Washington.  He gets a little applause with his advocacy of a balanced budget amendment.

To Romney:  What if the super committee can't agree?  Doesn't that demand a compromise?  Romney says he can't tell by the clip what the rest of the context was.  The answer, says Romney, is "to cut federal spending" and to have a balanced budget amendment and to get our economy going again.  Get corporations investing in America again.

The third moderator pulls back to the video clip and cuts.  Don't cut defense, says Romney.  Don't raise taxes.  Don't take more money from the American people so government can spend it.  He puts the onus back on the super committee to get the economy going again.  Applause.  Rose is incredulous:  "Without ANY increase in revenue?"

Newt interrupts.  Classic.  "They adopt a truly stupid bill" in which they say they'll either shoot themselves in the head or cut off their right leg.  Wonderful!

Bachmann with her lone wolf in the wilderness speech.  As if she's the only one in Washington who thinks the federal government is off the rails.

I'm not sure that pointing out that she's a tax lawyer works much for Bachmann.  Charllie Rose:  "Cutting back on spending in your opinion will do it?"  Incredulous again.  He's so smug.

"That's ONE piece of the plan" she says.

Moderator to Cain:  she questions the 9-9-9 plan and cites Bloomberg's analysis.  Cain:  "The problem with that analysis is that it is incorrect."  Laughter.  It makes assumptions we did not make, he says.  "It expands the base," he explains.  His plan does not pivot on the existing tax code.  It's revenue neutral, he says.  "Why should all Americans pay more" she asks.  Hello?  WTF?  Why shouldn't all Americans pay taxes?

Bachmann:  "The 9-9-9 plan isn't a jobs plan, it's a tax plan."  She says it could lead to a VAT and it gives the feds a new revenue stream.  OMG.  "When you take the 9-9-9 plan and turn it upside-down, well, the devil is in the details."  Did she really go there?  Satan Jokes!

7:50:   Huntsman is back on.  Rangers are still 1-0.

I think the moderator is asking a question but she's talking waaayyyy tooooo long.

Perry eschews China questions and says "we need to get America workin' again!"  And sounds like he's been practicing.   Nice spiel.

Who in the hell is this David Cote with his video question?  He needs a speech class.

Someone lit Santorum on fire about repealing ObamaCare.  Where's that guy been?  Damn!  He came after Mitt on waivers and makes the valid point that no state will do that.  Romney says he'll "repeal ObamaCare on Day Two" with a reconciliation bill.

All of a sudden the whole table has had triple shots of espresso and are firing off on ObamaCare and repeals.

8:05:  My blog stats are so lame...why am I live-blogging this?  Only 13 people have looked at my blog in the past hour.

Nekkid people coming up.

Did that work?

8:10: And they're back.  Longest break evah.

This Bloomberg music is so freaking dramatic.  Like the end of the world.

Now the candidates question each other.  Oh boy.

Alphabetical order.

Bachmann first.  She calls Perry out for campaigning for Gore and increasing bond debt in Texas.  "How can we trust you to not go down the Obama way..." she asks.  Most people in Texas were Democrats, he says.  Reagan was, he says.  Point.

Perry defends by saying Texas has the second lowest debt per capita in the United States.  Point.

Cain is next.  To Romney:  Can you name all 159 points in your plan?  Cain is touting the simplicity of his 9-9-9 plan.  Romney tosses off a casual ha ha! and says simplicity is not always what is needed.   Glib.

His answer is not simple and Cain points that out.

Newt is next.  He asks Romney about his proposed capital gains tax cut for people under $250,000 which is "lower than Obama had."  Romney says middle class Americans have been most hurt by Obama.  Newt makes the point that people in that income bracket don't normally have capital gains in the first place, to speak of.

Huntsman.  Rangers up 1-0 still.  Top of the fourth.

8:20:   I dislike the way Ron Paul pronounced "Fed."  I can't even type it out phonetically.  It's bizarre.  Cain cautions Ron Paul about what he reads on the internet when Paul misquotes him.  Cain says he does not object to the Fed being audited.

Cain is killing them with this 9-9-9 thing!  Every answer is 9-9-9!

Romney gives a shout out for Christie in his ObamaCare answer - thanks for the endorsement buddy!  Romney says less than 1% of the kids in his state are uninsured as opposed to Perry where LOTS are uninsured in Texas.  Romney is standing by RomneyCare.  He tries to draw the distinction but I'm not sure he's doing it.

LOL - Charlie Rose calls on Santorum who points out that Romney comes before Santorum.  Romney:  "You'd think someone from PBS would know that!"  Laughter all around.

Oh god - Bachmann with her mother resume again.  Enough already.  Is there anyone on the planet who doesn't know about her foster kids?

8:25:   Now to Santorum.  S after R.  Is he asking a question?  To Cain:  Can we trust you, with your lack of experience, that you won't continue to give Washington a tool to take away our freedom?  And Santorum points out that Cain supported TARP.

Cain says he's going to ask Congress to use a 2/3 majority vote before they can raise the 9-9-9 tax.  The American people will hold their feet to the fire, and "I will be president," Cain says, and he won't sign anything that raises the 9-9-9 plan.

Another break.

Cain is doing quite well.  Santorum is spunkier than I've seen him.  Perry is not helping himself - no major errors, just not much of a presence.  Romney is just Romney, man...he's just glib and polished and I still don't feel any fire for him.

Dammit!  Rangers tied at 1-1.

8:35: To Perry on health care.  How are you different?  This from Charlie Rose.  All Perry can seem to say is "gettin' America back to work" to any question.  "Get this country back workin' again," is his answer to everything.

Dead in the water.

Perry pronounced Bobby Jindal's name "Jin-DAHL"; that may be correct but I've never heard Jindal say it that way in any of his ads or press conferences.  Jin-dle is how he says it.  I thought they were buds.  Wouldn't he know that?

Cain pronounces with "wif" - this bothers me.  Speech class.  Cain is looking to replace Bernanke "wif" someone he won't name yet.  No hints.

To Ron Paul - since we're talking about the Fed.  Cain liked Alan Greenspan, but Paul says he was "a disaster."

Greenspan was a bad answer for Cain.  I'm with Paul on that one.  God, did I just say I agree with Ron Paul?

"Bernanke compounds the problem," says Paul.

An audience question about opening up bank lending to small businesses.  The question is to Romney who says Obama is "well meaning but in over his head."  Disagree.  Not at all sure he is "well meaning."  Dude.

Socialism?  Really?

Bachmann - "The Dodd-Frank bill is the jobs and housing destruction act."  She's talked to bankers who are going broke and losing money.  Going under.  "We will see literally thousands of banks close their door."  She's the lone wolf again who proposed the bill to repeal Dodd-Frank.

To Cain again - "I agree - repeal Dodd-Frank and repeal the capital gains tax."

Shouldn't Newt chime in here somewhere?  He's good on this.

But no.  It's Ron Paul again.

A Solyndra question to Perry.  "Do you think there were inadequate safeguards there" or is this just "the risk we run"?  Perry says government has no place there; it's a states issue if they want to get involved in issues like this.  Moderator interrupts and argues with him.  Perry answers her adequately about what they do in Texas as far as oversight.  No fire, no gains, just adequate.

She argues again about oversight.  Perry:  "Every one of those projects had the Lt. governor and the speaker" involved in oversight.  Texas creates jobs.  Got it.  Texas creates jobs.  Repeat six times.

Oh lordy.  A George W. Bush video clip about more people in America owning homes than ever before.  The question to Newt is if the American dream about owning a home is dead.

Newt jabs at Obama's malaise in his speeches.  Good one.  Newt - people need to get back to work so they can AFFORD to buy houses.

You mean owning a house isn't a "right"?  The government doesn't have to buy me one?

This is a boring debate.  Herman Cain is the only reason to watch this thing.

Rangers 1-1; Detroit on first and third.

8:45:  Perry says people are in poverty because Obama is a job-killer.  He has "over taxed and over regulated" so that employers are laying off people.  Guess what he says?  "Get Americans workin' again."  We have to "replace Barack Obama."  Applause.

Santorum jumps in and says a big problem is the break up of the American family.  Santorum pleads for the strength of the American family and there's some random outburst in the audience.  Bachmann is disoriented because of the outburst.  Heckling.  Rose continues.  Awful.

They're trying to wrap this up.  It's degenerated into a mess.  Cain:  "I was po' before I was poor." ?  Seriously?

Ugh.  Terrible debate. 

The Rangers game is looking grim too.  Detroit is up 2-1.  I'm going over there now.

Thanks for hanging in.

Winner?  Cain.  No doubt.