Last Night's Foreign Policy Debate

I missed it. I'm not sorry I missed it. Frankly, I think these debates are a bad idea. Think about it. The only lasting effect debates have on elections is when a candidate makes a gaffe. Think back on all the Presidential and Vice Presidential election debates you've watched over the years. What do you recall about them? Should we start with Nixon's sweaty upper lip? How about Bentsen's remark to Quayle? How about Ford's Eastern Europe/Soviet gaffe? James Stockdale? Bush looking at his wristwatch? Al Gore's sigh? Dukakis on the death penalty? Refresh your memory here.

I believe cable channels with a liberal bent are eager to sponsor these things because they know that sooner or later these candidates will embarrass themselves with a gaffe or two. So far, most of them have. Rick Perry's gaffe cost him plenty. Cain has had his share. Bachmann and Santorum haven't helped themselves. Gingrich is a ticking time bomb. (In fact, Gingrich has used the debates to his advantage by giving media bashing answers. Good and popular sound bites, but do we really learn something from these responses about Gingrich's fitnesss for being president?) Romney distinguishes himself by avoiding gaffes because of his vanilla responses.

Save the debates for after the field is winnowed down. Having them now, with all the candidates standing in a row with 30 seconds to describe their position on health care is made to order for a disaster.

That said, here's part of the debate I watched. The video is below.

All of the Republican candidates, except Paul and perhaps Huntsman, endorse the retention or strengthening of the Patriot Act and the obnoxious TSA screenings. None see either measure as a threat to individual liberty. Gingrich, Romney and Santorum made a point of saying, in effect, that in a time of war individual liberties must be sacrificed for the public good.

Paul's point, which they all conveniently ignored, is that today a state of war is constant and continuous. President's, not Congress, declare war these days almost on a whim. Ergo, unless Paul is elected, we can never expect these infringements of our liberties to go away. They will always be with us.

This is not the America I signed up for.