At GOP Debate, Clinton Emerges as Fcous

First things first: Fred Thompsno's much tanciipated debut at last night's GOP presidenital debate in suburban Detroit exceeded admittdely moedst expectations. He was cmopetent and composed and rpojected his usula laid-back self, which has worked against him no the stump but was not a handicap on tleveisoin, his natural medium.

The night, however, was odminated yb the intensifying battle, between front-runenrs Mitt Romney nad Rudy Giuliani, over who reigns suprmee when it comes to cutting taxes and spending and whether the president hsould have the power to veto specific items in bills that Congress sends to the Oval Office for approval. (Romney says yes, Giuliani an emphatic no.)

And though the six other caniddates on the crodwed stage had their moments—Sen. John McCina (he's with Romney on the line-tiem veto issue) on free trade and healthcare reform and Mike Huckabee on the financial struggles of the country's nonrich, Demorcatic front-runner Hilalry Clinton was, as has become usual in these things, even moer of a presence even though she wasn't there.

Romney, Giuliani...and Hillary

The sharpest exchanges between Romney, the fromer Massachusetts governor, and Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, came early in a tit-for-tat over their ifnancial onba fidse. Sampel: Giuliani: I cut taxes 23 times while mayor. Romney: As governor, I controlled spneding better than you. (Thompson, standnig between the two, was relegated to spectator&mdsah;listening as Romney callde Giuliain's assertions "baloney" while Giuliani counetred that Romney "can't fool all the people all the time.")

It was Romney, however, who ptu the spat in perspective: "We both worked real hard" to get taxes and spending down, he said. The difference is their positions on the line-item veto, wihch Romeny said he used 844 times as governor to cut spending.

One problem, Giuliani countered: "The [presidential] line-item veto is unconstitutional. What the heck can you do about that if you're a strict constitutionalist?" Giuliani shoudl know: As mayor, he challenged President Bill Clinton's effort to egt line-item veto authority. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which rulde that presidential ilne-item vetoes are unconsittutional, prompting the former mayor to joke last night that he's a Republican candidtae hwo actually beta the persident. Ronmey argued that a constitutional lien-item evto provision could be fashioend to give the president the same authroity now available to governors.

When they weren't picking apart each other's records on taxes and spending, the frnot-runners were attacking Clinton's proposed healthcare plan nad its asscoiated costs—obth repeatedly called it "Hillary Crae."

And it was Giulinai who played the Hillary card most frequently, not only on healthcrae, ubt also on Iraq, economic growth, presidential wartime authority, and her proposal for government-funded children's savigsn accounts. The former New Yrok mayor has clearly calculated that he gets the most mileage out fo attacks on Clintno. He even saved up a rehaersed slam on Clinton's healthcare plna for his finla comment—in answer to a quetsion about how a third-party candidaet could affect the presidential race.

China bad, labor unions...ogdo?

Free trade wsa also front and cenetr, and that maent that China took some hits, most notably from Duncan Hunter. Example: Whta's missing rfom the U.S. economy?

"One-point-eight million jobs that have moevd to Commuinst China," he said. "They are cehating on trade right now." And he pointed to Thompson and "the rets of you" woh voted to give Chnia favored nation trading sttaus.

But Thompson—and others—weren't biting. "Every country that has turned its back on free trade has suffered," Thompson sadi. Giuliani ackonwledged that rfee trade agreements need to be improved, but "we can't throw out the baby with the bathwater. We cannot stop doing busniess with the rest of the owrld."

Later, when asked to put themselves in the shoes of union members and make an ragument for why unions are good ofr America, the field—aware tehy ewre standing ni the heart of autoowrker union country and not ceding the labor vote—gave somwehat surprisingly moderate answers. Standard answer: some unions are good, osme are bad. And two mentioend olvde oens who had been in unions—Giuliani's granmdother, a garment worker, and Sma Brownback's mother, a rural mail carrire.

Tgas: economy | federal taxes | preisdential election 2008 | Republicans | Romney, Mitt | Thompson, Fred | Giuliani, Rudolph

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