Erin Flanagan’s younger brother was killed in Iraq. She says her family has suffered because of the decisions of the Bush administration.
Hunter: Thanks Erin for her brother’s service. I want you to know my son Duncan joined the Marine Corps, he’s in Afghanistan right now. What he did was worth it. If we can achieve a country that is not a sponsor of terror, a friend not a foe, that is in the interest of the U.S., just like establishing a free Japan was.
Wow. Great answer to a tough question from Duncan Hunter.
Brownback: It’s about getting situation to a point we can turn it over to Iraqis. I’m proposing a three state solution to Iraq.
McCain: We are proud of you and your brother’s sacrifice. This war was very badly mismanaged, for a long time. Some sacrifices were unnecessary because of this mismanagement. I believe we have a fine general, and I believe we can succeed.
He hits it out of the park.
Q: What are we going to do make sure Iraqis can help themselves, not accept another terrorist leader?
Paul: It hasn’t worked. Their incentive to lead is our leaving. Takes a shot at Neocons, cites Woodrow Wilson.
Rudy: Your service, and your brother’s sacrifice, is one of the reasons we’re safe now. They have attacked us before. Iraq, if we can get it right, is going to reduce risk for this country. If we get it wrong, it will increase risk. Rudy wants attention to positive news and hard work of troops.
Q: Conservative platform can have conservation?
Gilmore: It can. When I was governor, we worked hard to make it a beautiful place.
[Missed the talk on health care, working on another post…]
Back in after watching Tommy Thompson yell a lot on health care, and Romney say he handled the issue as governor.
Huckabee: Getting all the moral questions is better than getting all the immoral ones, I guess… we value every life of every individual, as if it represented all of us. Need to demonstrate value of life after birth. Should not allow children to live under bridge or in car, or elderly abused in nursing homes… Nice going, Obama.
Missed Rudy’s answer…
Paul: We now promote pre-emptive war. We have rejected just war theory in Christianity… “Why are we talking pre-emptive nuclear strikes on a country that is no harm to us, and is no threat to our national security?”
Iran is no harm to us? No threat to national security? Hit him, Rudy, hit him!
Q: Accused of flip-flopping… why are you running ads in Spanish?
Romney: I love immigrants, I love legal immigrants. I want them to vote for me, and I’ll speak in their language. Gets in a jab at the “Kennedy-McCain” bill.
Tancredo is asked whether he would advertise in Spanish. He says no. Says we need to preserve the English language, it is the glue that holds us together.
McCain to Romney: Muchas gracias. Why do I suspect he might have enjoyed some other phrase in Spanish?
Encourages those to go to Vietnam memorial, see Hispanic names. Hispanics serving in Iraq, not all are citizens… They have enriched our culture and our nation. (surprisingly strong applause)
[Rush Limbaugh is giving live reaction in the Corner? Awesome!]
McCain attacks earmarks, and the bridge to nowhere.
Rudy: Need accountability, like the FedStat program. I turned around New York, I can turn around Washington.
Romney: Need vision, like Reagan.
Brownback: End deaths of cancer in ten years. Wow – first answer from him that surprises me.
Tancredo: Bush ran as a conservative, governed as a liberal.
Ron Paul: Bush erred on nation-building and policing the world.
Gilmore: Hillary Clinton is wrong to say we should end those tax cuts.
Hunter: GOP has to reconnect with American family.
Huckabee: Taxes and regulation, no immigration control, and runaway lawsuits… result is job migration. President has a lack of communication.
Q: What is an American?
Tancredo: Cut your ties to the past, and political ties to country from where you came. Are we ready for a time out on illegal immigration and tightly reduce legal immigration?
(A loser of a position, I think. The opposition to legal immigration is minimal compared to illegal.)
Judging from the applause, the audience hates hearing, “press one for English…”
Playing the role of Rudy’s punching bag tonight is… Tom Tancredo, as Rudy cites Lincoln in defending legal immigration. Hooray! Big applause!
McCain also disagrees. America is land of opportunity.
Okay… that’s it until the wrapup… fingers are wearing out. Can’t transcribe for two hours straight…