Newt stands out as statesman in Arizona debate

The CNN debate held in Mesa, Arizona, on Wednesday was in my opinion the best debate so far. The questions were mostly framed well and only once, when the contraceptive issue emerged, did the moderator run the risk of heavy-handedness. John King did a good job, much better than his last effort.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich won the debate.

Gingrich managed to reclaim his position as conservative statesman with specific solutions. When the contraceptive issue arose, he rightly pointed out that no one ever asked President Barack Obama the candidate about his extreme position on late term abortion during the 2008 debates.

Gingrich also has the right idea on border security—not closing the border—as a prerequisite to immigration and illegal alien reform. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer told King after the debate she thought Gingrich’s idea to involve border state governors was the best approach.

Gingrich gets the fact that energy is one of the keys to shoring up US foreign policy because we have abundant, diverse options for meeting our country’s energy needs. Obama’s ‘one-of-the-above’ approach—alt-energy, mainly solar—is creating a serious economic crisis impacting the lives of all Americans. Obama’s energy policy has made US security more vulnerable.

Gingrich also did something no other candidate did. He gave a nod to Christians who observe Ash Wednesday which ushers in Lent. Gingrich’s purple tie was significant in that regard for purple is the color of Lent for many faiths. That was a nice touch of respect.

I saw some Tweets suggesting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won. I thought Romney’s style was superior to his actual substance. He simply cannot attack ObamaCare and anyone who believes that isn’t one reason Obama would prefer a Romney challenge is engaging in wishful thinking.

Romney may claim to not like taxes, but he did love fees and those are nothing more than indirect taxes.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum did a fairly good job of defending himself against the Romney-Rep. Ron Paul alliance I’ve come to expect. I thought Santorum and Romney basically tied in their exchanges.

I did think it funny that Paul continued to defend his earmarks. There’s no way to defend them—they’re the crack cocaine of politics, often used to entice a vote. Everyone knows it. That and his teaming up with a governor who hiked taxes and implemented a massive government healthcare program have seriously eroded Paul’s image, at least the image I held of him before this campaign season.

As I said before, politics makes for strange ‘headfellows.’

After the debate, King said something that corresponded to an observation I’ve made frequently. The question conservatives are asking when it comes to this field is Who can we trust?

I can’t answer that for everyone, but I do know one thing. If I had to point to a candidate on that stage who could actually implement government reform, who isn’t afraid to buck his own party, who took steps to put people back to work —that would be Newt. Simply because he’s done it before.

Newt said at one point, “The current government is a disaster.”

Personally speaking, I still think Newt’s the candidate who can decisively do something about that.

~~Read archived articles about former Speaker Gingrich at The US Report.

(Analysis by Kay B. Day/Feb. 23, 2012)