Random reactions:
- The moderators did a good job of keeping the candidates focused on the issues and exposing their differences. I just wish they could cut off their microphones or use an air horn when they talk out of turn (here’s looking at you, Ted!)
- I don’t think anything that happened last night will have a major impact on the campaign.
- Jeb Bush was much more effective last night than he has been in previous debates, but it was way too little, too late.
- Trump had some interesting comments about the Iraq War, but mostly he just pounded his chest and talked about how strong he is. At some point, that act just has to wear out; it makes the campaign look like one of those commercials for guys with low T.
- Apparently Ted Cruz believes in surgical carpet bombing, which is an oxymoron.
- Carly Fiorina believes that the best way to persuade the Chinese to work with us on North Korea is to engage in confrontations with them everywhere else. That sounds like the German idea of expanding their fleet to bully the English into an alliance prior to World War I. You know how that turned out.
- The candidates are genuinely divided on Assad. The logic of the position taken by Trump, Cruz, and Paul leads to acquiescence in Russian leadership in the war against IS; the others take the position that we have to fight IS and remove Assad, which is also the Obama Administration’s position.
- Did you hear any ideas for dealing with Syria, other than the no-fly zone that is supported by Hillary Clinton, that we are not already trying? Me, neither.