Our first look at the Republican Field!

Last night the Republicans took the stage during the first GOP Presidential debate. Ten candidates took the stage to debate everything from the Iraq war, to health care, to illegal immigration.

The questions came fast and furious, but their differences were showcased to an extent. I'll take each candidate, in the order of how I think they performed, and how much I agree with their views presented.


1. Mitt Romney- Explained reasons for changing his position on abortion well; He is now pro-life. Looked presidential, and had a very firm grasp of all topics presented. No stumbles.

2. Mike Huckabee- Surprised me. I didn't really know anything about him, and he showed me a few things... He can speak, he holds traditional conservative views, and looked good.

3. John McCain- Good ole' John. Same as always. He performed pretty well, though looked rehearsed more than the others. My wife said, "boy, you can tell he spent some time practicing in front of a mirror."

4. Rudy Giuliani- Tough on crime, very moderate Republican. He absolutely squirmed when asked about Roe v. Wade. He is a gun control advocate as well. Not my choice for president, but spoke pretty well other than the Roe v. Wade issue.

5. Sam Brownback- Spoke VERY well. I agree with 90% of his positions. He is conservative in its truest sense, but he doesn't stand a shot because he is "too religious". Really unfortunate.

6. Duncan Hunter- Conservative guy who I hadn't really had a chance to get to know. I would vote for him, but don't think he's got a shot. Too much of an "unknown".

7. Jim Gilmore- Former Va. governor. Tough on terror. Seems to have the big picture on the War on Terror.

8. Tom Tancredo- Very tough on illegal immigration. That is his baby. He wants a fence built, yesterday, and he does not favor an "amnesty" program that seems so prevalent. He is not a great speaker, but he did speak to my conscience on illegal immigration.

9. Tommy Thompson- I'm sorry Tommy, you are an all-right guy, but you looked like a bumbling idiot up there. Your points were OK, but LEARN how to SPEAK MAN!

10. Ron Paul- Favors a flat tax, and basically making America an isolationist nation. Not a supporter of the Iraq war. One of the few Republicans who voted against it. Some good things about him include the flat tax, and his opposition to censorship.

All in all, I saw a very deep bench for the republicans. The democrats top guys have very limited experience as compared to the republicans last night. Barak Obama has what, 4 years in the senate? He made a speech at the convention a couple years ago, became a Christian (a move that was made for purely political purposes, I believe he is still a Muslim at heart), and that qualifies him to become president? Hillary lived in the white house, and has been a senator for about the same amount of time. Her qualifications include what, exactly?

Now for the Republicans last night.... governor, congressman, senator... a ton of political experience up there! And almost all of them could speak much better than our current president. Not a single one talked about "cutting and running" and surrendering the war with Iraq. All were tough and seemed to realize that we are in a war on Islamic fundamentalism. In the dems debate a few days ago... no one mentioned radical Islam. It was talked about at length last night....

Because republicans understand our need to defend this great nation of our against ALL enemies, and seem to get that if we leave Iraq before our mission is done, the entire world will see this as a victory for Al-Qaeda and radical Islam.

Under Construction

My first attempt ever at a blog, so please bear with me. It will take me some time to update the site, and I will get it done, just may take some time. Thanks in advance for your patience.

Chad