Fred Thompson
remembered his lines in his first stage performance at a
Republican presidential debate in Dearborn, Mich. The
newcomer to the Republican presidential field neither
stood out nor screwed up Tuesday in his inaugural
debate of the 2008 White House race. He largely held his
own but hardly came off as the Ronald Reagan-like savior of
the GOP that backers have long built him up to be.
An intense
squabbling between GOP rivals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani
over taxes and spending took some of the focus -- and heat
-- off Thompson while overshadowing John McCain and
the other five Republicans on the stage. Thompson was
literally stuck between Romney and Giuliani as they
sparred.
''I've enjoyed
watching these fellas. I gotta admit it was getting a
little boring without me, but I'm glad to be here now,'' the
former Tennessee senator said -- and by the end of the
two hours, once he got comfortable, it showed.
Overall, the
sixth major debate of the GOP nomination fight didn't change
the wide-open nature of the race.
It's still
dominated by the four strongest contenders -- Giuliani,
Romney, Thompson, and McCain -- while a fifth, Mike
Huckabee, again used his stellar communication skills
to underscore the widely held notion that he is the
underdog most likely to break out of the pack. Three
months before voting begins, the front-runner mantle is up
for grabs.
The debate, held
in a manufacturing and automotive state suffering the
highest unemployment rate in the country, was heavy on
economic issues.
In the most
heated exchange, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor,
and Giuliani, the ex-mayor of New York, squared off over tax
cuts and spending restraint. Each claimed greater
commitment than the other in sparring that reflected a
quickening pace as the 2008 caucuses and primaries
draw close. Giuliani leads in national polls, but Romney has
an edge in the leadoff caucus state of Iowa.
''I cut taxes 23
times. I believe in tax cuts,'' Giuliani said.
Initially, Romney
conceded that, but quickly criticized his rival for
once filing a court challenge to a law that gave President
Clinton the right to veto spending items line by line.
''I'm in favor of the line-item veto,'' he said,
adding he exercised it 844 times while governor of
Massachusetts.
Romney also said
that while mayor, Giuliani ''fought to keep the commuter
tax, which is a very substantial tax...on consumers coming
into New York.''
Responding,
Giuliani said spending fell in New York while he was mayor,
and rose in Massachusetts while Romney was governor. ''The
point is that you've got to control taxes. I did it,
he didn't.... I led, he lagged,'' Giuliani said.
''It's baloney,''
retorted Romney. ''I did not increase taxes in
Massachusetts. I lowered taxes.''
That spat left
Thompson and the other contenders as something of
bystanders for several minutes.
The debate was an
important test of Thompson's maturity as a candidate
and he was looking to counter the perception that he's
unprepared to be president.
''I don't think
his performance was especially, bad but it wasn't
especially great either,'' said Costas Panagopoulos, a
political science professor at Fordham University.
''He certainly didn't make the kind of impression that
set him apart from any of the other candidates. He did
very little to change the dynamics of the race.''
Over the past
month, Thompson has struggled to answer questions on a
range of topics, from the Terri Schiavo right-to-life case
to oil drilling in the Florida Everglades. By many
accounts, he has turned in an underwhelming campaign
performance with a rambling, low-energy stump speech
devoid of specifics.
But none of the
gaffes that have marred his first month as a full-fledged
candidate surfaced. He did, however, low-ball the
Democratic-controlled Congress' job approval rating at
11%. A recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed it at
22%, and several other surveys put it in that range.
And while
Thompson pointed out that he belonged to the Screen Actors
Guild, he missed the opportunity to say that Reagan was in
the same union. In fact, Reagan served as SAG
president from 1947 to 1952 and 1959 to 1960.
Thompson managed
to avoid a potential trouble spot when MSNBC moderator
Chris Matthews asked him to name the prime minister of
Canada. ''Harper,'' Thompson said confidently. ''Prime
Minister [Stephen] Harper.''
A late entry to
the race, Thompson also good-naturedly handled the
ribbing he took for waiting until now to participate in
debates.
''This is a lot
like Law & Order, senator. It has a huge cast,
the series seems to go on forever, and Fred Thompson shows
up at the end,'' Romney quipped to laughter.
Thompson nodded
and smiled -- then shot back slyly: ''Not bad, not bad.
And to think I thought I was going to be the best actor on
the stage!''
The veteran actor
of Law & Order fame is no stranger to the
small screen and he went to great lengths to get ready for
his performance with two weeks of mock debates and
timed preparation sessions.
After stammering
a bit as he answered his first question on the economy,
Thompson clearly got in a groove. He looked repeatedly at
what appeared to be notes on his podium as he spoke --
but less so as the debate continued. At some points,
he even engaged in a few extemporaneous and
lighthearted exchanges with his rivals.
''He handled
himself very well,'' said Saul Anuzis, chairman of the
Michigan Republican Party. ''He clearly got more comfortable
as it went through.''
Thompson was,
however, light on substance and specifics as he fielded
questions.
He stuck to broad
statements of what's wrong with the country and railed
against big government but offered little in the way of how
to fix the problems -- much as he does during campaign
appearances.
''Thompson
cleared a hurdle today by showing he can rough and tumble
with the best of them,'' said Greg Mueller, a
Republican strategist and veteran of presidential
campaigns who is unaligned in this race.
However, he said,
''The campaign is entering a policy and solutions phase
that the Thompson campaign will have to catch up with in
terms of putting forward ideas that will give people
more hope offering a bit more shining city on hill
posture.''
With voting
beginning in just three months, Thompson has little time to
do it. (Liz Sidoti, AP)
