The rap on Fred Thompson was that he lacked energy and spark. But tonight's snooze-fest of a Republican candidates’ debate surely could have used Fred, at least the Fred of the South Carolina debate a few weeks ago. It wasn't just that the candidates didn't clash; the event at times bordered on a love-fest. Even Ron Paul was subdued.

Isn’t it odd that the Democratic candidates, who disagree about virtually nothing, attack each other without mercy; meanwhile, the leading Republican candidates, who disagree about such key issues as abortion, immigration, tax policy, and engagement with Iran, have nothing but warm things to say about one another? Even during the segment when the candidates got to ask questions of the opponent of their choice, we saw mostly softballs. Romney asked Giuliani what he thinks about China; McCain gave Huckabee a chance to pitch a national sales tax. I guess each candidate must be reasonably comfortable with his standing because no one attempted anything that would shake things up. Perhaps, at the margin, Romney wanted to prop up Rudy as a competitor of McCain's, while McCain wanted to help Huck at Mitt's expense. This is what President Bush calls "small ball." Did I mention that I miss Fred?

Was there a winner? If so, I’d say it was Giuliani, at least for those who sat through the entire 90 minutes. Near the end, Rudy managed to (1) get in a few shots at Castro, (2) hit back at over-the-top criticism from the New York Times, and (3) receive a testimonial from John McCain (himself usually the recipient of praise from other candidates). However, I doubt that Rudy had a good enough night to turn things around, assuming he’s in the kind of trouble some say he is. Indeed, the softball question from Romney and the tribute from McCain can be seen as evidence that, in Rudy’s words, he’s lulled the field into a false sense of security.

What about the other three main contenders? McCain did pretty well, though he wasn’t at his sharpest. Romney was strong most of the night, but struggled a little, I thought, when asked about his self-funding of the campaign. Huckabee was funny, articulate, and at times charming. However, he didn’t do himself any favors when he attempted a lame joke about Romney’s self-funding, to the effect that Mitt should save his money so his sons can inherit more. It was also interesting to hear Huckabee propose putting people to work building extra lanes on I-95 from Maine to Florida. It doesn't take much to bring Huckabee's populism to the surface.

Posted by Paul at 9:37 PM  |    |