Three brief thoughts to add to my colleagues’ trenchant analyses: 1. No Show Of Hands. My strong sense, from several visits to Iowa, is that Iowa Republicans really dislike the Des Moines Register. So, more perhaps than some national commentators appreciate, the Fred Thompson takedown of Carolyn Washburn could help ignite his Iowa campaign in the home stretch. 2. No Bush. In the entire debate, the current Republican president of the United States, George W. Bush, wasn’t mentioned once. Prediction: This fall, the Democratic Congress will end up being more of a problem for Obama or Clinton than Bush will be for the Republican nominee. 3. No Cringing. I didn’t see the debate, as I was on a plane. I’ve read the trasncript. In reading, one can slide over the cringe-inducing silliness of the moderator and the wacky interjections of the fringe candidates, and just read what the major competitors said. Reading the transcript tended to confirm for me what I’ve thought all along: It’s a strong field, the major contenders are good (if obviously imperfect) candidates, and their positions on the issues are sensible and should be acceptable to lots of Americans. Republicans have a pretty good chance to win in November.
