The Next Round

The Fox News Republican debate from South Carolina is under way as I write. So far, for all that I've dismissed Ron Paul recently, he's come off strongest so far, but since I'm not a South Carolina Republican, I don't know how much good my opinion will do him. I think the moderator was playing dirty when he basically challenged Paul to order those of his supporters who espouse the "truther" buncombe to renounce it. He had to know that Paul was certain to say that he had no right to give such orders, but the candidate did go so far as to deny any "truther" beliefs of his own, and he advised supporters to tone down the rhetoric if they cared for him. If anything, McCain got in a cheaper shot at Paul when he responded to the libertarian's call for trade with all nations with the crack that "I don't want to trade with al-Qaeda." I've neglected to emphasize my dislike for McCain, but his belligerent rhetoric and his notion that no one will mind if we stay in Iraq for 50 years as long as our soldiers aren't killed make him a must to defeat.

Also, for all that I've dismissed Fred Thompson recently, I feel that I have to dismiss him even more. He's given the most despicable performance so far (McCain's being only the most wrongheaded), gratuitously insulting Huckabee at every opportunity and basically announcing his intention to make Pakistan a complete puppet state of the United States. Asked to comment on the fact that 2/3 of Pakistanis want President Musharraf to step down, he sneered at them and boasted of his own contempt for opinion polls. No, Fred would keep Musharraf, but in return the president must do everything that a President Thompson would ask of him, including freeing the people he's put in jail -- presumably so they can continue to protest Musharraf and get put in jail again. This Thompson: I think I could really hate him.

I sign off as Huckabee attempts to parry a question about his endorsement of a Southern Baptist document affirming women's submissive role in marriage. He's right to say it has nothing to do with the Presidency, but his assertion that marriage isn't a 50-50 partnership, but a 100-100 one, because each spouse gives 100%, sounds a little like fuzzy math to me.