I watched just a small part of the debate last night, but my timing was good. The question of "don't ask don't tell" came up, and if we should keep it or drop it. I heard one guy get up, retired military General and say the policy is wrong and it needs to stop. There was a small smattering of clapping, cheering when he was done. Unfortunately almost all of the responses from the Presidential candidates left MUCH to be desired IMO. I was disappointed most with John McCain, but of course Romney was TOTALLY against dropping the policy. Didn't get to hear any others unfortunately. It would have been interesting to hear Ghouliani. But there was MUCH room for improvement here...

Iraq was very interesting. Ron Paul was almost booed off the stage, as he said we need to exit Iraq, as our presence there is inciting violence...most in the audience heckled loudly......

So, Thompson made the comment that he "never met a tax he liked". Can anyone who understands or sympathizes with the Republicans explain this comment to me? Since he doesn't like the idea of the government collecting taxes, I'd like to hear his groundbreaking, revolutionary, alternative plan to pay for government spending.

I think I'll become a Republican, since I won't have to pay any taxes and the government will somehow find a way to fund iself!!!

And I forgot to mention the question about Log Cabins support came up and would you accept it. I saw Hcukabbes reply, and if I was a Log Cabin I would have lots of problems with him. He said he wouldn't actively be seeking it, but, wouldn't turn them down either....extremely lukewarm!

After watching these wackos last night, I have to say yet again that dread any of them getting elected--save Ron Paul or John McCain, and neither one of them is going to win it--being elected, but I had to admit that as totally dangerous and wacked out as they ALL are, including Huckabee, I've--we've--all as a nation at least been through the worst with W, so if my fellow Americans (or enough in states to tip the election) have a collective brain fart, it'll just be W Redux, and hey, there's always Canada to move to....

The truly terrifying ones, though, are Romney, who is so smarmy and fake it's nauseating, and Giuliani, who is just a great big lying authoritarian. The fact that it was just revealed that he billed NYC for his booty calls and yet he doesn't have the character, the courage or the honesty to admit, really says everything. As for Huckabee, well, just Google "Wayne Dumond." That's all I say about him. Be afraid, be very afraid.

So what do you think of Kucinich saying that he would consider Ron Paul as a running mate? Hardly a blurb on anyones radar since neither seems to have much of a chance anyhow. But I thought it said something about Kucinich that he is ready to touch any of the Repubs with anything less than a ten foot pole. I find Paul's economic policies to be as shallow as Huckabee's, of which even the conservative British journal/blog the Economist has said that his national sales tax idea is so regressive that it is a non-starter and would become so complicated and unworkable that it would eventually be worse than the current mess.

And speaking of the Huckster:

If this article fairly sums up Huckabee's involvement I can't see how it will have much of an effect on his campaign. But had that camera ham Anderson followed up on Huckabee's response to that YouTubed question about literal belief in the Bible, Huckabee would be shown to be the shallow-minded political media hog that he is. A supposed minister opening up the question of whether any part of the Bible can be considered allegory shows how arbitrary the use of that book as policy really is. Even he doesn't believe all of it literally.

Huckabee let Dumond out of jail, based not on exculpatory DNA evidence, but because rightwing nutcases were claiming that Bill Clinton, when governor of Arkansas, was somehow behind Dumond's castration, because Dumond had raped and killed a young woman who was a distant relative of Clinton's. Dumond proceeded to move to Missouri, and is known to have raped and brutally murdered ANOTHER young woman there, and is possibly linked to other rapes and murders there and in Kansas. So you're saying that's not a big deal? Okay, whatever.

Didn't use the term "not a big deal", but said I do not see it having much of an effect on his campaign. To win the Repub nomination he could easily explain away that decision by legitimate means.

His devotees would think bringing it up is something akin to swiftboating since many of them are probably fundamentalist christianite zealots anyhow. And the possible Clinton angle would only make them salivate (in private of course).

I think his waffling on the literalness of the Bible is more telling. And in a general election would eventually trip him up because cowardly journalists would be forced to eventually ask him some tough questions about his fundamentalist faith.

Saying you believe in the Bible seems to be some sort of litmus test to be considered a serious candidate for either party nowadays. I'd like to hear some of them explain just what that means to them. And how will it affect their decisions on specific policies.

Most politicians are too savvy to go there. But it will be crucial to all of us how they interpret their belief system. There was an interesting story in the news recently about the Saudi Arabian woman who was raped then prosecuted for taking her rapists to court! Human rights don't mean much to fundamentalists. Where would Huckabee take the so-called Christian Right, even if he has little success in the Repub's primary?

It points to his (very) poor judgement, and is in line with one of the Republicans' most notorious attacks ever, on Michael Dukakis: "Willie Horton."

Also, Huckabee claimed to take a call from "God" at a Republican debate. He believes the earth is 6,000 years old. He's adamant that human beings are not "primates." He's a wacko religious zealot nutcase.

Why can't a nation of 300+ million people field and elect people who're smart, wise, ethically grounded, humane, humble and not arrogant, open-minded, visionary, not corrupt, progressive, and, most importantly, SANE?

Apparently he also justified approving numerous death penalties by assuming Jesus would have asked for clemency on the cross if he opposed it.

This man could win the Republican nomination, and if he faced Hillary Clinton, the race for president, based on Reaganesque homilies and aphorisms for the former and dredging up every lie and partial truth ever uttered about the Clintons for the latter (a task typically left up to unofficial bodies in politics on both sides).

The guy is George Bush on (undetectable) steroids.

His pseudo-religious chicanery should be challenged early.

Huckabenut sounds more like it. And why does God waste His time speaking to all these idiots?

And now Huckanuts is attributing his rise in the polls to GOD! Yes Huckanuts is the All Mighty's Personal Choice!

Huckanut is about right. Just read a story in my paper about him defending his comments he made back in '92. At that time he favored isloating people with AIDS, opposed federal funding for the search for a cure and said homosexuality could pose a " dangerous public health issue." Nice.