A Solid Debate

MSNBC did a good job, fast pace and entertaining. The Reagan Library with the old Airforce One in the background provided a cool setting. Good to see that the Republicans did not wimp out with liberal MSNBC and Chris Matthews, unlike the Dems with Fox News and Brit Hume.

With the exception of Ron Paul who came across as a space alien, I could live with any of the candidates. Romney and Giuliani clearly bested the field. McCain seemed a bit up-tight, rehearsed, over-eager and angry at times, even though I agreed with most of his positions. The second tier candidates did generally well, though some seemed a bit out of their league on foreign policy. A long way to go, the gloves are far from coming off at this stage.

The far more interesting Presidential debate is the one that occurred in France yesterday, the "evil Neocon" Sarkozy making minced meat out of Socialist Ségolène Royal. Pajama Media's Nidra Pollar writes a killer analysis of that crucial debate. Polls indicate that Sarkozy extended his lead in the debate aftermath.

"The hate campaign against Sarkozy is steeped in anti-Semitic, anti-American poison; in polite circles it is fashionable to talk about his brutality. Ségolène Royal, at the height of fashion, never misses a chance to label her rival and his politics as brutal."

Nidra Poller,
Pajama Media Corespondent, Paris