Though I did not have a chance to see it (being at work, and usually not interested in the “debates”), it sounds like the Republican candidates decided to get it on last night in St. Petersburg. Not even the specter of Hilary Clinton and her husband, ol’ What’s-his-name, distracted the candidates much from taking shots at each other in an effort to look like not only the better candidate, but just plain different from the rest of the litter. (I’m assuming Pat Oliphant could only squeeze four dogs into the pet-store window above, which accounts for the absence of Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, et al.)
The general wisdom is that, with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary only a matter of weeks away, the boys from the G.O.P. will forget about trying to tear down Democrats for the most part in the effort to dis’ their fellow contenders and pick up delegates for the convention in summer. This is particularly strange for the Republicans for two reasons:
- The G.O.P. is the incumbent party in the White House right now. But, with Dick Cheney not in contention for the nomination [1], it brings about the fascinating image of eight contenders for the king’s throne going after each other.
- The Republicans are traditionally supposed to be the organized party; they come up with one, and only one, candidate relatively quickly, push him through to the convention, and unify behind him. Besides the probable bloodletting in November 2008 on the Republicans for staying in Iraq [2], this is going to fracture the party at a time when they need unity badly.
Based on the conventional wisdom of the 1976 election — which was a dismissal of the party in power as backhanded revenge against Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal — I have to wonder if any of these men, even the charismatic Giuliani and the proselytizing Romney, Huckabee and Paul, have a realistic chance of winning next November. One thing for sure — like Bette Davis said in All About Eve, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride for the metaphorical night.
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[1] Not that Mr. Cheney would stand any chance at all. If anything, the Vice President is despised more than the President himself in many circles.
[2] Although the need for us to remain there to fulfill our commitment is still there, sadly. I’m getting close to the point where I would say “Yank ‘em home, Mr. President,” but I can see what would happen following.
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News articles:
- Reuters — “Fireworks erupt at Republican debate”
- New York Times — “G.O.P. Rivals Exchange Jabs in Testy Debate”
- AP — “GOP rivals clash on immigration, torture”
- Washington Post — “In Debate, Romney and Giuliani Clash on Immigration Issues”
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Peace be to you.
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