Part 2: "Iraq: Stay, Go, or Arm-paramilitary-death-squad(s)?"

Welcome to Part 2 of my not-so-live blogging of the Iowa GOP debate. You can still access the introduction & Part 1, if you arrived here out of sequence :)

Just a recap from Part 1: I transcribed what I could, but you can watch the whole Konservative Krying Game for yourself at the ABCnews.com site. Aside from Stephanopoulos, the cast of characters included: Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan; former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas; and Rep Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.
(Missing and presumed sleepy: former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn)

Iraq: Stay, Go, or Arm-paramilitary-death-squad(s)?

PAUL: "Just come home." "We shouldn't be there" (huge applause) "What is [troop] morale with less than a year's rest?" "The foreign policy is defective."
HUNTER: Contends that he's stood up to the Russians...and that he was there "when we did Central America (did?!), when the liberals were raging that we had to get out of Salvador, today Salvadoran troops are standing side-by-side with US troops in Iraq." (Ack! So, I guess the reasoning goes: if paramilitary death squads were good enough for El Salvador, they're darn well good enough for Iraq. Thanks Dick Cheney...er...Congressman Hunter.) Says he is tired of Democrats and their "race to stampede for the exit the quickest." "We are standing up" the Iraqi army.
HUCKABEE: Suggests that the US should "put some pressure...on the Saudis." "Everytime somebody in this room goes to the gas pump, you've helped make the Saudi Royal family a little wealthier...and the money that has been used against us in terrorism has largely come from the middle east." "[we should] end our dependence on foreign oil-and let's not play around and say '30 years,' let's get it done, right now." As for the Saudi/Syrian/Jordanian/Egyptian et al. role in Iraq: "It's their neighbourhood."
BROWNBACK: "We need a 'political surge' like Thomas Friedman talked about" (Yeah. That Thomas f'g Friedman)
MCCAIN: Dismisses 'loose federation' idea (Biden/Gelb) and offers the Iraqi soccer team as evidence of national unity. (Nemmind that nobody on said team actually, y'know, lives in Iraq & the captain wants US forces out of his country)
GIULIANI: accuses Dems of 'political correctness' since none of the Dem. candidates use his personal fave term, 'Islamic terrorism.' Refers to O'Hanlon and Pollack op-ed and crows about significance of the liberal NYT verifying success in Iraq. (need I remind Rudy that expert demolitions of this op-ed have appeared all over the place? e.g. David Isenberg's)
ROMNEY: accuses Obama of going "from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week" (referring to his Dem debate performance and hawkish speech on Pakistan, respectively)
TANCREDO: flips out on Stephanopoulos "there are other people on this stage too, George" (I can has Grvel momint?)
T. THOMPSON: blames Iraqis for failures, e.g. "can't even decide whether to take one month or 6 weeks off"; he's for States' Rights in Iraq.
PAUL: Opposed war from outset; "There is no need to go to war against a 3rd world nation" Romney interrupts Paul: "has he forgotten about 911?" (Romney flashes big grin to the audience, goading them for applause)
PAUL: Reminds audience that he served in Vietnam, and that the US now enjoys trade with the Vietnamese: "we can achieve much more with peace than with these unconstitutional, undeclared wars"
MCCAIN: "I was one of the biggest critics [of the war's execution or 'management']." "Give us some time for it to succeed" (Doan worree, babee! I B good frum now on!)

Part 3 is on the way..."Well, at least you have your health. Wait...no. You can has bucket. Kthxbai."
or...
Return to Part 1..."Sex, Guns & the Return of Karen Hughes"