Sparks Fly In Thompson's Debate Debut

(CBS/AP)  Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani clashed over tax and spending cuts Tuesday, each claiming greater commitment than the other in a debate in the nation's struggling manufacturing heartland.

The government "is spending money of future generations and those yet to be born," added Fred Thompson, making his debate debut after a late entry into the race. He said future retirees should receive smaller Social Security benefits than they have been promised.

Thompson played it safe while Giuliani and Romney argued over taxes, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.

"With all eyes on Thompson, he performed about as he has throughout the campaign thus far - marginally well but not particularly jumping off the charts," wrote CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs in Horserace.

After months of polite debate sparring, Giuliani and Romney squared off without hesitation, a reflection of their struggle for primacy in the race for their party's presidential nomination.

"I cut taxes 23 times. I believe in tax cuts," said Giuliani, former mayor of New York and leader in national Republican polls.

Romney in turn criticized his rival for once filing a court challenge to a law that gave President Clinton the right to veto spending items line by line. "I'm in favor of the line item veto," he said, adding he exercised it 844 times while governor of Massachusetts.

Romney also said that while mayor, Giuliani "fought to keep the commuter tax, which is a very substantial tax ... on consumers coming into New York."

The former governor leads his rivals in the polls in Iowa, where caucuses will be the first contest of the campaign, and he and Giuliani are in a close race in surveys in New Hampshire, the leadoff primary state.

Giuliani responded that spending fell in New York while he was mayor, and rose in Massachusetts while Romney was governor.

"The point is that you've got to control taxes. I did it, he didn't. ... I led, he lagged."

"It's all baloney," retorted Romney. "I did not increase taxes in Massachusetts. I lowered taxes."

The clash was among the most heated of the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, reflecting a quickening pace as the 2008 caucuses and primaries draw close.

It also left Thompson and the other contenders as something of bystanders for the several moments that Romney and Giuliani went at one another.

All nine of the men on stage sought to stress their conservative economic credentials throughout the two-hour debate, held in the city that gave birth to the Ford Motor Co. more than a century ago.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona said President Bush was right to veto a children's health expansion bill, and he urged him to reject a multibillion-dollar public works measure as well.

"We've got to get wasteful spending under control," he said.

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[kcbirdie1]

AT one Republican debate, I was left open-mouthed when the question was asked: "Raise your hand if you do not believe in evolution." Up came the hands of Mitt Romney and Brownback, and I believe one other candidate. Are these supposed to be educated, intelligent men? I would not vote for anyone who believes solely in what is called "creationism." No Way.

[michellem99-2009]

The soup kitcken will feed him a meal yer know where the homeless go to eat.

[Krazcarl]

The bantering of a bunch of old horses that should be put out to pasture there were no sparks the GOP has lost no matter what and they know it. Thogh do like hearing Huckabee at least he''s nice with decent seance of humor as far as I know.

[adventurepa]

Posted by bizzzz
"I didn''''t here much support for Bush last night, even on the war on terror. There was alot of talk about changes that need to take place regarding China, changes that need to occur in Irag and the war on terror, changes in healthcare...DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES THAT ARE RUNNING"

So why are the rest of the republicans in congress not doing anything to introduce changes now?
Why are they not all taking action today!!!
Changes that need to occur now, today, not tomorrow but months ago?
Yours and their empty promises are the the status quo for repukes.
Your going to be voted out of office Jonny!
Face it! The crappola rolling out their collective mouths filled the room with so much BS everyone needed boots to leave.

[hwy71so]

Vote for Duncan Hunter....

[marcodele]

That panel of losers and hypocrites are in no way vehicles for change.

Romney changes when the wind blows. Guiliani, wasn''t he the one who rescued all those people from the Twin Towers?

McCain and Thompson are so out of it they can barely remember when to take their Viagra.

Anyone who votes Republican in the next presidential race is probably as dumb as the republicans who voted in the last two.

A college education is indoctrination? Funny, I thought Rush Limbaugh and FoxNews were much better at that than any university. Plus you don''t have to think, just follow.

[bizzzz-2009]

I suspect some of you Democrats went to college. That''s undoubtedly where your indoctrination took place. If you recall (if you didn''t smoke too much weed) you didn''t have 8 years to write your term paper. You also couldn''t hand in the same written paper over and over and over again. You had to do research on new topics, right?
Your knee jerk "Bush this, Bush that.." reaction is a horse that has been beaten into ground. Quite frankly it''s tiresome. I suspect some of you are just too lazy to do research on any of the Republican candidates. You feel "I''m an expert on Bush, there''s no more work to be done, I''m too tired to pay attention to any candidates, Hillary said she''d give me everything I want, give me my diploma, I want to go home.
What about Giuliani? Lib Response-...Bush,Bush,Bush
What about Romney? Lib Response...Bush, Bush, Bush,
What about Thompson? Lib Response...Bush,Bush, Bush

[bizzzz-2009]

"I suppose you think the current plan of spending $12 BILLION a month for no one knows how long, and borrowing money from China and robbing all other programs of money is good economics??

Clestes,
The Republicans covered all this last night. Did you watch it? Despite how BADDD Democrats want the Republican candidates to be just like Bush (OR EVEN BETTER, FOR THERE TO BE SOME WAY BUSH CAN RUN AGAIN), I didn''t here much support for Bush last night, even on the war on terror. There was alot of talk about changes that need to take place regarding China, changes that need to occur in Irag and the war on terror, changes in healthcare...
Anyone who tells you they heard lat night alot keeping the status quo that Bush established, is white washing the debates and closed their ears during the debate.
I''ll say it again, Bush is not running next year! PLEASE, DON''T BE THE LAZY PEOPLE I SUSPECT YOU ARE. DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES THAT ARE RUNNING

[clestes-2009]

bizzzz,

I suppose you think the current plan of spending $12 BILLION a month for no one knows how long, and borrowing money from China and robbing all other programs of money is good economics??

Let''s face it, the rep party, the one that was always "fiscally responsible" has thrown that out the window and embarked on a spending spree unlike anything seem in our history. And worse still, it has no end in sight as everyone of the rep bozo''s plan to continue on in Iraq forever.

ANYONE else will have a better plan than this.

[bizzzz-2009]

I loved how Fred referred to Chris Matthews as "Christopher" when Chris amateurishly offered his opinion regarding Fred''s length of response while mediating. That''s because men are called Chris, a child is called Christopher.
Last night, I saw several potential leaders among the Republican candidates. Whenever I listen to the Democratic hopefuls, I see children.
If I''m not watching Hillary accusing one of her own constituents of being a right wing conspiracy plant for asking a simple question, I''m hearing about John Edwards%u2019s $1400.00 haircuts and Obama bold move not to wear an American flag pendant.
The only thing I hear Democrats promising is to raise taxes and to rob the rich and give to the poor. They have no idea what drives a healthy economy.
It''s capitalism that made this country great, NOT socialism. Compare socialist countries to the US. People who want the government to pay for everything, want to "dumb down" the country because they can''t make it in this world. THEY REALLY DON''''T CARE ABOUT THE ECONOMY BECAUSE THEY DON''''T WANT TO WORK, MUCH LESS COMPETE ANYWAY.