win, lose or draw

Last nights Republican presidential candidate debate on Fox News was rather interesting. There were definite winners and losers. Here is how I rank their performance:

1. Fred Thompson
2. John McCain
3. Mike Huckabee
4. Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney
5. Ron Paul

Definitely the winner! Thompson's performance finally established who his is and what he believes in. He claims to be the true "Reagan Republican" and in my opinion he is probably the most conservative of the group. I think he made a great showing.

McCain, in my opinion, was slightly edged out by Thompson. His performance seemed more assured and relaxed. I think he was "on target" with his answers. Although McCain is "my" candidate I have had problems with his stand on immigration. I think he explained his position and I can now accept his position. I think he showed himself as the strongest foreign policy and military candidate and that is why he has gained my support.

Huckabee's performance was very good and probably slightly behind McCain. He spent a great deal of time "defending," especially his record in Arkansas. It was obvious that he is considered a threat and probably the current front runner overall. I was impressed by his defense of Israel. He was the only candidate, last night, to do that. Defense of Israel was the original reason I supported Huckabee and I think his stand on this issue is clearer than all other candidates.

Giuliani and Romney were both disappointments to me. Giuliani tried to answer all questions tying back to his performance post 9/11. He did not convince me that he is strong enough to lead the country. Romney gave some excellent answers to some of the questions but, to me, he was busy trying to "look presidential," although I did notice his hair wasn't quite as perfect. It appeared to me that Giuliani and Romney tied with neither living up to expectations.

The clear cut loser last night was Ron Paul. In my opinion he was in another world and must live in another world. His answers were radical, far fetched, and barely understandable. His ability to articulate isolationism is amazing. This seems to be his answer to all issues. Ron Paul's performance in primaries has been less than mediocre. He should be excluded from future debates.