They’re All There, but No Sparks

The major question of Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire was, “How did George W. do?” Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the clear front-runner in national polls, had finally been prodded into debating his five opponents--Sen. John McCain, Steve Forbes, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Gary Bauer and Alan Keyes.

The answer is that Bush basically held his own, without making any major mistakes. But his performance did not match the magnitude of his lead in the national opinion polls and his massive campaign treasury.

The other candidates had the benefit of participating in several previous debates and having repeated their basic messages during months on the campaign trail. Forbes led the rather mild efforts to attack Bush, particularly on his tax-cut plan.

The format was not conducive to a discussion of issues in depth. Each candidate had one minute to respond to a question from a moderator and then 45 seconds for a follow-up answer. In most cases, the candidates were not asked the same questions, so it was difficult to compare their positions. It also was unfortunate that the early questions to McCain dwelt on his reputation for having a temper and the fact that so many Senate colleagues and Arizona officials are supporting Bush.

At the end, Hatch complained that the format was “stilted and boring” and suggested the candidates just go out as a group and talk to the voters. That would be an improvement.