SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Much of the attention in the race for the Republican presidential nomination has narrowed to Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, apparently irking rivals former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.
As McCain and Romney stressed their conservative credentials at a debate Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan presidential library, Huckabee tried to get a word in — and Paul interjected, too, both with little success.
“There are a number of pieces of legislation where his views are out of the mainstream, at least in my view, of conservative Republican thought,” Romney said, chastizing McCain for his initial support for giving amnesty to illegal immigrants and opposing drilling for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.
McCain shot back that Romney raised taxes as governor and the state saw large manufacturing jobs disappear. “I’m proud of my conservative record. It’s one of reaching across the aisle to get things done for Americans,” McCain said.
When Huckabee was asked a different question, he tried to steer the conversation back to highlight his conservative credentials.
“You want to talk conservative credentials? Let me get in on that,” Huckabee said, and then described his opposition to abortion and gay rights. After McCain and Romney clashed bitterly over the Iraq war, Huckabee said: “I didn’t come here to umpire a ballgame between these two.”
“Governor Huckabee, we’re going to shower you with questions now,” moderator Janet Hook of the Los Angeles Times said.
It didn’t make much difference, and he was soon complaining he had not been showered with questions. “I’m going to make sure I get a little time here.”
Paul, who has not won any of the early primary contests but still has raised millions of dollars from supporters, was not able to detail his credentials. “I would like to take one minute, since I didn’t get a chance to answer this discussion on conservative versus liberal,” he said.
Moderator Anderson Cooper promised him he would have an opportunity later. But it never came.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Additional reporting by Claudia Parsons
- Photo credit: Reuters/Danny Moloshok
Trackback
203 comments so far
Previous | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | … 1 | Next
The conservative talking heads in the media have shown their true colors. Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee have been completely ignored or dissed. I’m sick of it.
If McCain or Romney win the election, I will write in Ron Paul. Let Hilary or Obama destroy this country. But I will never again vote for the candidate picked for me by the conservatives or the media.
Ron Paul should be heard. Huckabee’s record shouldn’t be distorted. Allow them to enter the debate.
The sad thing is the American people simply follow what the media dishes out. Or, it is highly possible that the elections are rigged.
- Posted by Paul BarberDid McCain back door an endorsement for Ron Paul?
Lets see, Cooper shut up Ron Paul after he started answering the appointment of O’Connor to the Supreme Court question, then allowed McCain to go on and on with the same basic answer and viewpoint.
But wait, it did get better. McCain during his rambling said and I paraphrase, “I agree WITH Ron Paul, we need to appoint Constitionalist Judges AND I AGREE with Ron Paul, spending is out of control and we need to rein it in.
So, if McCain agrees with Ron Paul, then I guess that is good enough for me, so DO I!
- Posted by OldBookGuyI daydreamed to the day Paul is President and talking with Anderson Cooper then, and I imagined he’d be quite polite to him, maybe some good-natured chiding of “previous times”.
If the current president has shown us anything, it’s that when a candidate wins and becomes the President of the United States, they lead us where THEY want to go — saying they have been given the go-ahead from the voters! They are tempted to stop listening and revert to their goals and purposes, claiming a mandate.
So then, we need to choose wisely and anticipate whoever wins will “do their thing”. Whose “thing” to we want?
The one candidate whose programs I’d like to hear about from day one is Ron Paul. As President, he’d need legislation in addition to any executive actions. That would provide a wonderful, naturally Constitutional, platform for his administration’s vision for our country.
Let’s hear that national debate — reduce overseas bases and save enormous amounts of taxpayer money? reduce intrusive policies and procedures toward other countries? eliminate federal departments not constitutionally appropriate? enforce our citizenship laws? protect our currency? personal liberty versus big brother? These and many other REAL ISSUES need to be addressed vigorously, debated fiercely, and Americans and their representatives getting the (smaller) government’s business done!
EVEN IF PRESIDENT PAUL GOT NO SUPPORT FROM CONGRESS, he would still be an effective administrator of the Executive branch. I shudder to think of presidencies of other current candidates (and those who have fallen!).
He’ll follow his job description — the Constitution.
- Posted by Roe