Boca Raton, Florida
This was the nice debate - reminiscent of the earliest debates in this cycle. The debate tonight was pretty low-key considering the stakes of the primary here next Tuesday. I expected that Rudy Giuliani would come out stronger against John McCain. He did not. I thought Giuliani had a better performance than he's had in a debate in some time. His answer on Tim Russert's question about whether the war in Iraq was worth it was the best of the group. He said, in part: "I was for it when six out of ten were for it. I'm for it now that six out of ten are against it." His answer on the New York Times editorial was simply outstanding. He is smart to label himself a "conservative Republican."
Mike Huckabee, too, chose not to challenge McCain. He gave a funny answer when he was asked about Chuck Norris's claim that McCain is too old to be president, and then took a pass on criticizing his new friend. "There may be other things I could pick on Senator McCain about," he said - and then raised exactly zero of them.
John McCain went out of his way to praise Rudy Giuliani immediately after the mayor was asked about the New York Times editorial criticizing him. He tossed a relative softball to Mike Huckabee on the Fair Tax. Even Mitt Romney mostly escaped criticism from McCain. In the course of his answer about Iraq, McCain said: "There were others that called for a phased or secret withdrawal." That was a reference to Romney, though few probably understood that.
One of McCain's best moments came when he twice proclaimed: "I'm proud to be a conservative." He then ticked off a list of examples of the times that he has challenged his own party, finishing by restating his commitment to put "my country above my party." This was effective. Now he needs to flip the formulation. McCain would do well to give a speech in which he reminds people of the issues on which he disagrees with his party, but speaks at some length about the many issues on which he agrees with conservatives. He would win points for "straight talk" and, at the same time, would reinforce his conservative credentials.
Romney did well. His answers on the economy seemed well-informed and the brief outline of the options for Social Security reform will sound reasonable to most voters. I don't think his answer on spending his own money will hurt him much, but it wasn't very good.
The nice debate will not likely move many voters in Florida.
