Pure Horserace: An Invigorating Debate
It's too early to draw any grand conclusions but could it be that the biggest loser in last night's Republican debate in South Carolina was "none of the above?"
Republicans searching for an alternative or addition to the current field of 10 candidates were offered more variety and spunk than they may have seen from this current group previously. Most of them came prepared, were relatively quick on their feet and, above all, seemed determined to make the sale.
Rudy Giuliani may not ever satisfy the base of the GOP on abortion and other social issues but he reminded them of why he's in the race when he jumped all over Ron Paul's suggestion that U.S. policy contributed in some way to the 9/11 attacks. John McCain turned in a solid defense of his mostly conservative record, making the case that his lifetime of experience has prepared him to lead the nation in uncertain times and Mitt Romney continued his bid to restore the optimistic face of the party and claim the crown of CEO-in-chief.
Mike Huckabee preached a version of pragmatic problem-solving while Jim Gilmore and Sam Brownback reminded everyone that the GOP remains very much the conservative party. Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Tommy Thompson and even Paul offered a little something to appeal to some part of the party.
More than that, after months of despondency within the party, Republicans got a glimpse of 10 candidates who appear ready to fight to retain the White House. Gone, for the most part, was the hemming and hawing about changed positions and delicate issues. When Brownback was asked how he could tell a pregnant rape victim she could not have an abortion, he allowed it would be difficult but said he would do just that. When Gilmore was challenged to drop the generic attacks on his rivals and name names, he didn't hesitate to do so.
When these same 10 men gathered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, they mostly followed that president's dictate not to speak ill of a fellow Republican. Last night they dropped the manners in favor of the sort of principled defense of ideals the former president was known for.
There has been a growing appetite for a new alternative and many reports indicate that Fred Thompson is very close to feeding that desire. But he's not in the race yet and that empty feeling could disappear just as quickly as it came on. If last night's debate didn't discourage Republicans from casting a wandering eye outside this current field, it's hard to imagine what would. — Vaughn Ververs, Columbia, S.C.
Putting His Acting Skills To Use: Fred Thompson wasn't present at last night's debate, but he was involved in verbal sparring yesterday with liberal filmmaker and activist Michael Moore.
The confrontation started brewing when Thompson, in a column posted on National Review Online, criticized Moore for visiting health clinics in Cuba as part of a documentary on the state of American health care. Thompson claimed that Moore was deceived by Fidel Castro and that Cubans, on average, have far worse health care than Americans.
On his Web site, Moore responded with an open letter to Thompson and accused him of hypocrisy — for being an aficionado of Cuban cigars, which are not allowed in the United States under a trade embargo, and for receiving campaign contributions from the health insurance industry. He also challenged Thompson to a debate.
Thompson then decided to do what he's most known for — acting. In a video posted online, Thompson is seen sitting in a chair, swiveling to face the camera, and chomping on a large cigar (country of origin unknown). He then tells Moore that he doesn't have time for a debate, but suggests the right place for Moore could be in a mental institution similar to one Castro allegedly sent a Cuban filmmaker to for making a documentary critical of the dictator.
In his letter to Thompson, Moore said a debate would allow the former senator to "appeal to the right wing of the Republican Party by continuing to attack" him. With the video, Thompson did just that and avoided a potentially embarrassing confrontation with Moore. Even without the debate, it looks like Thompson won this encounter. — David Miller
Illinois Home Cookin': Democrat Barack Obama got some great news on Tuesday, but it wasn't in the form of a new poll or a key endorsement. Instead, he saw the Illinois Senate pass a bill, supported by Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, that would move the state's 2008 presidential primary to — you guessed it — Feb. 5, joining a cadre of other states, including large ones like New York and California.
But while the chief motivations for those states were to increase their influence on the nomination process, that's only a secondary concern for Illinois. Backers of the plan openly admit moving up the primary is an attempt to help out Obama, who represents the state in the Senate and once served in the state legislature.
An Obama victory in Illinois may now be a fait accompli, especially with so many other states demanding the candidates' time and attention. But the legislation also moves up the date of the Republican primary.
It should be a wide open contest. None of the GOP contenders has an obvious connection to the state — other than a fondness for their party's first president and longtime Illinois resident, Abraham Lincoln. — David Miller
Mark Your Calendars: Today the Democratic National Committee released its list of sanctioned debates. Forgive us for engaging in self-promotion, but we're going to start at the end of the calendar with the Dec. 10 debate in Los Angeles. CBS News is a co-sponsor of the debate, and Evening News anchor Katie Couric will serve as the event's moderator.
The other debates will be held June 23 in Charleston, S.C. (carried by CNN); Aug. 19 in Des Moines, Iowa (ABC); Sept. 26 in Hanover, N.H. (MSNBC); Oct. 30 in Philadelphia (MSNBC); and Nov. 15 in Las Vegas (CNN).
Of course, more debates than those listed above are possible, though they won't carry the DNC's seal of approval. — David Miller
Surveying The Landscape: Today marks the debut of a new feature on CBSNews.com — Poll Positions, a new column by CBS News' director of surveys, Kathleen Frankovic.
Poll Positions will be posted every Wednesday on our site. In it, Kathleen will discuss the latest surveys — including those done by CBS News and other organizations — along with the techniques used by pollsters and the potential problems such surveys present.
To read the first installment of Poll Positions, click here.
Editor's Note: Pure Horserace is a daily update of political news as interpreted by the political observers at CBSNews.com. Click here to sign up for the e-mail version.
By Vaughn Ververs and David Miller