CBS News/NJ debate transcript, part 1

Major Garrett: Congresswoman Bachmann, you serve on the Intelligence Committee. I'd like to get your assessment of what you think is happening in Pakistan, especially with the Hikani Network. And you know from sitting on that committee that those in the diplomatic corps in this country and even the intelligence community believe that there is a tangible benefit, at times, to properly appri-- apply foreign aid from this country. So I want to know if you agree with the governor on that question, starting at zero. And also your assessment of the intelligence situation in Pakistan, and what we should do about it.

Michele Bachmann: Pakistan is a very difficult area, because they have been housing terrorists and terrorists have been training there. Al Qaeda, as well as Hikani, as well as other militias dealing with terrorist organizations. But I would not agree with that assessment to pull all foreign aid from Pakistan. I would reduce foreign aid to many, many countries. But there's a problem, because Pakistan has a nuclear weapon. We have more-- people affiliated with Al Qaeda closer to that nuclear bomb than in any nation. This is an extremely important issue.

And I think it underscores exactly why the next commander in chief has to understand from day one the intricacies that are happening in the Middle East. This is a very dangerous time. If you look at Iran and if you look at Pakistan and if you look at-- at the-- the links with Syria, because Iran is working through proxies like Syria, through Hezbollah, through Hamas. It seems that the table is being set for worldwide nuclear war against Israel. And if there's anything that we know, President Obama has been more than willing to stand with Occupy Wall Street, but he hasn't been willing to stand with Israel. Israel looks at President Obama and they do not see a friend.

Major Garrett: Congresswoman, thank you. Speaker Gingrich, you presided-- as speaker over several foreign aid budgets for the United States. And I remember covering in 1995 the intervention on behalf of the Mexican peso. You have seen, at times, the proper role of the United States through foreign aid and other interventions. I want to know if you agree with-- Governor Perry about starting at zero?

Newt Gingrich: I'm absolute-- I mean, what he said made absolutely perfect sense. Why would you start every year-- and consider the alternative. You're giving some country $7 billion a year. So you start off-- or-- or in the case of Egypt, $3 billion a year. So you start off every year and say, "Here's your $3 billion, now I'll start thinking"? You ought to start off at zero and say, "Explain to me why I should give you a penny."

And let me tell you, the fact that the Pakistanis-- he didn't think about this. The Pakistanis hid Bin Laden for at least six years in a military city within a mile of their national defense university? And then they got mad at the people who turned him over to us? And we think those are the acts of allies? I think that's a pretty good idea to start at zero and sometimes stay there.

Major Garrett: Just a quick follow up, Mr. Speaker. Since you've entered-- since you mentioned Egypt, Mr. Speaker, I just want to know, if you were president, if the aid that we currently provide on an annualized basis to Egypt would be completely rethought and possibly eliminated, if you were president?

Newt Gingrich: It would certain-- it would certainly be completely rethought. And candidly, the degree to which the Arab Spring may become an anti-Christian spring is something which bothers me a great deal. And I would certainly have the State Department intervening on behalf of the (UNINTEL) Christians, who are being persecuted under the new system, having their churches burned, having people killed. And I'd be pretty insistent that we are not gonna be supportive of a regime, which is explicitly hostile to-- to religions other than Islam.

Scott Pelley: Senator Santorum-- if a Pakistani nuclear weapon goes missing, what do you do?

Rick Santorum: Well, let me just stop back and-- and-- and say I disagree with a lot of what was said up here. Pakistan must be a friend of the United States for the reason that Michele outlined. Pakistan is a nuclear power. And there are people in this-- in that country that if they gain control of that country will create a situation equal to the situation that is now percolating in Iran.

So we can't be indecisive about whether Pakistan is our friend. They must be our friend. And we much mut-- we must engaged them as friends, get over the difficulties we have, as we did with Saudi Arabia, with-- with respect to the events of 9/11. We-- they-- the terrorists came from Saudi Arabia. And we said, "What-- you know what? It's important for us to maintain that relationship, in spite of those difficulties."

And it's important for us, with a nuclear power, with a very vast number of people in Pakistan, who are radicalizing, that we keep a solid and stable relationship and work through our difficulties. It is that important, and we must maintain that relationship.

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6/11

[dclogang]

Why didn't you give all candidates EQUAL TIME?? Ron Paul was giving a total of what 90 seconds???? UNFAIR AND UNBALANCED NEWS! Come on CBS!

[gdpreston1]

dreadful CBS you should be ashamed of yourselves! Ron Paul IS the People's choice!!

[kaycris1128]

This debate was a disappointment for me, I feel I got way to much Perry, Romney, and Cain, while all I really wanted was to know where the other candidates stood on the issues. I wish these debates were set up so that everyone was given the same amount of time to speak, the media bias for certain candidates is painfully obvious by now and it makes me wonder if I should even continue to follow the GOP debates at all. I certainly have lost all respect for CBS, and will no longer be tuning into their programming. Oh and water boarding is defiantly torture. I think if Cain and Bachmann were to fall victim to these "interrogation techniques" their stance would be quite different. Ron Paul was the only one up there making any since and he was given the least amount of time even though he has been constantly polling in the double digits, I wanted to hear more from that guy!

[JavaMcPhearson]

CBS Nov 12 poll results -
Olivepolitics(com) created the realtime one-person, one-vote system used by CBS Nov 12 which received over 100,000 votes before crashing due to legitimate server overload. ?
The results as of 97,529 votes were Paul 28%, Perry 19%, Huntsman 13%, Gingrich 13%, Cain 13%, Romney 8%, Bachmann 3%, and Santorum 2%.
While previous network polls have relied on as little as 54 votes, the CBS Nov 12 poll results may be the first to represent truly significant voter participation.

[Johnstone39]

Oh. so now CBS is finally putting up the entire, unedited transcripts? Where were they last evening? I searched all over this website and National Journal and the full, unedited debate was not available. And we know the entire debate wasn't available for recording on TV.

CBS should be ashamed of not having the entire debate on TV, and when cutting that off, not having the entire debate on the CBS and National Journal websites for replay immediately. It is sickening that most people ended up reading the headlines from CBS spinmeisters to get their information on the debate rather than listening themselves.

[cmart6]

"An email from a CBS producer who predicted that Bachmann would not receive many questions from moderators Scott Pelley and Major Garrett."
The email is not a "supposed smoking gun" It proves that CBS intended their anti-Bachmann bias to do what they in fact did: ask Bachmann fewer (60%) questions than asked of Romney and Gingrich.
When you predict what in fact you do, then it shows intent, in this case intent of bias.
A recent SmartPolitics analysis found that former Massachusetts governor and front-runner for the nomination Mitt Romney has spoken for over 73 minutes in the last 5 debates, more than any other candidate. Texas Governor Rick Perry came in second in terms of speaking time at 54 minutes, followed by Bachmann at 41.

[cottagestreetgirl]

I love the way Newt handles the msm when they try to corner him with their 'gotcha' questions. He puts them in their place, not with personal attacks, but with his well thought out ideas which are supported by facts. Scott Pelley should not feel too bad about the verbal ***** slapping Newt delivered...he wasn't the first to be pounded by The Speaker, and he won't be the last.

Intellectually, Mr Gingrich is a giant among the pipsqueaks of the press.

[Docfreeman]

The debate would have been really good had Scott Pelly allowed everyone to finish their sentence. Also had all the candidates been allowed to speak it would have made for a more informative debate. As it was Bachmann was not given much of a chance to answer or comment on anything. It was not really a good debate, since you had lousy moderators.