GOP Might Stand For "Goofs On Parade"

The media does not want Ron Paul's message of smaller government to get any press. He's the only legitimate Constitutional Conservative of the bunch but gets nary a mention from even Fox News. The media spends more time in conjecture about Newt and Thompson than they do on candidates that have signed on. Absolutely preposterous!

GOP candidates invoke Reagan in first debate
Presidential hopefuls are united on Iraq, divided on social issues, with Giuliani separating from the crowd on abortion.

By Dan Balz and Michael D. ShearTHE WASHINGTON POST
Friday, May 04, 2007
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Republican presidential candidates disagreed sharply on abortion and stem cell research but were united in offering support for President Bush's troop surge policy in Iraq as they met for their first debate of the 2008 campaign Thursday night.
In the opening minutes of the debate held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the 10 candidates competed with one another to identify with the former president, citing his foreign and domestic policies as models for what the Republican Party should embrace in the coming election.
The freewheeling debate initially focused on the pessimism across the country surrounding the war, and the candidates did not shrink from embracing the president's policy. "We must win in Iraq," Arizona Sen. John McCain said. "If we withdraw, there will be chaos; there will be genocide; and they will follow us home."
"We should never retreat in the face of terrorism," former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said. "Terrible mistake."
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney argued against following polls that showed a majority of Americans believe the war can't be won.
"I want to get our troops home as soon as I possibly can," he said. "But, at the same time, I recognize we don't want to bring them out in such a precipitous way that we cause a circumstance that would require us to come back."
Bush came under criticism for his administration's management of the war, with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee saying he would have fired Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld before the 2006 election.
"Clearly there was a real error in judgment, and that primarily had to do with listening to a lot of folks who were civilians in suits and silk ties and not listening enough to the generals with mud and blood on their boots and medals on their chest," he said.
The candidates also offered tough talk on Iran, where they warned against allowing the Iranians to acquire nuclear weapons and described that country as the greatest threat to peace. They also vowed to pursue terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. "I will follow him to the gates of hell," McCain said.
The debate quickly turned to social issues, and several of the candidates staked out differing positions on abortion.
On the abortion issue, Giuliani's views stood out in stark contrast from the rest of the GOP field. All the others said they would be happy if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973. Giuliani said it would be "OK" if the court did so, but noted it was also possible for a strict constructionist justice to support precedent and uphold the decision.
Giuliani came under criticism for his position in support of abortion rights, and when asked to explain his position, said, "I hate abortion," but added that because the issue is one of conscience, "I would respect a woman's right to make a different choice."
Thursday's debate featured 10 announced Republican candidates. In addition to McCain, Giuliani, Romney and Huckabee, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas also participated.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library served as host of the debate, with the former president's widow, Nancy Reagan, in the front row of the audience. The event was co-sponsored by MSNBC and the Politico, a newly established, politically oriented newspaper and Web site. The debate was broadcast on MSNBC.
Although the stage at the library was crowded with candidates, the GOP field may not be set. Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee is actively exploring a candidacy and will be speaking to a Republican audience in Orange County, Calif., tonight. In addition, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia has said he might become a candidate.
Giuliani tops most national polls in the GOP race, while McCain is leading or competitive with Giuliani in the key early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Romney trails the other two in national polls but raised more money than either in the first quarter and has been moving up in some state polls.
The search for a successor to Bush has attracted a large field of contenders, but polls suggest that none has captured the imagination of the party's faithful. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 65 percent of Republicans said they were satisfied with the field of candidates, compared with 31 percent who said they were not. In contrast, 80 percent of Democrats said they were satisfied with their presidential field.
The war in Iraq presents the biggest challenge to the Republican candidates. The president's war policies are despised by most Democrats and by many independents, who could be the key to victory in the November 2008 election. But Bush's decision to increase troops in Baghdad enjoys broad support among the GOP rank and file who will pick the Republican presidential nominee.