Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Après la discussion
Rich Galen has the best take on last night's GOP debate:
"Shorthand: Giuliani helped himself. McCain performed well. Huckabee did well enough so that the big three is now the big three and a half. Giving Romney the kindest review, he came out where he started, but I suspect he may have hurt himself by appearing too pre-programmed in his answers.
"In the press filing center outside the event site, it had been all about Rudy Giuliani all day in the run-up to last night's debate.
"What would he say about abortion? Can he win the GOP nomination with a pro-abortion position? Is abortion as important in 2008 as it has been for the past three decades?
"As usual, we were all wrong.
"The 'A' word was not mentioned until 9:38, when Giuliani dodged it and went after Hillary Clinton. In a follow-up by Chris Wallace, he dodged it again by saying abortions went down 16% while he was mayor.
"The Giuliani campaign has signaled a major strategic shift. They will no longer attempt to portray him as a Conservative - which he is not - but will attempt to show that he is a center-right candidate running in center-right country.
"That is, of course, a gamble in a Republican primary campaign."
"Shorthand: Giuliani helped himself. McCain performed well. Huckabee did well enough so that the big three is now the big three and a half. Giving Romney the kindest review, he came out where he started, but I suspect he may have hurt himself by appearing too pre-programmed in his answers.
"In the press filing center outside the event site, it had been all about Rudy Giuliani all day in the run-up to last night's debate.
"What would he say about abortion? Can he win the GOP nomination with a pro-abortion position? Is abortion as important in 2008 as it has been for the past three decades?
"As usual, we were all wrong.
"The 'A' word was not mentioned until 9:38, when Giuliani dodged it and went after Hillary Clinton. In a follow-up by Chris Wallace, he dodged it again by saying abortions went down 16% while he was mayor.
"The Giuliani campaign has signaled a major strategic shift. They will no longer attempt to portray him as a Conservative - which he is not - but will attempt to show that he is a center-right candidate running in center-right country.
"That is, of course, a gamble in a Republican primary campaign."
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, May 16, 2007 
