The Republican presidential candidates met last night in Las Vegas in a debate focused on foreign policy, and some of you tweeted about it. Let’s take a look!
As in earlier debates, the candidates were divided into those polling at a decent level of support, and the rest. The rest (Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki) debated first, and there was definitely something they all had in common:
I honestly forgot Santorum was running.
— ShoeTheRINO (@theshoebart) December 15, 2015
Oh hey Lindsey Graham. I forgot you existed again. #GOPDebate
— Aaron McIntire (@DeaceProducer) December 15, 2015
Hi Pataki, completely forgot about you. #GOPDebate
— Verdy Pompee (@easydidy) December 15, 2015
I forgot there was a Huckabee…. #GOPDebate
— Nicole Fisher (@nic_fisher) December 15, 2015
One candidate polled too poorly even to make this cadre of forgotten contenders:
WHERE THE HELL GILMORE!!!!????!!!!
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) December 15, 2015
Even so, the candidates soldiered on. They discussed Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Pataki goes after the parallels between Trump and Millard Fillmore. YES.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) December 15, 2015
Graham: “There are at least 3,500 Muslims serving in the American armed forces.” Thanks them for service. “Your religion is not the enemy”
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) December 16, 2015
Santorum offers a defense of Trump. pic.twitter.com/CtXNefAESZ
— jimgeraghty (@jimgeraghty) December 15, 2015
They discussed electronic surveillance, including an unusual take by Santorum.
Santorum: the more metadata we collect from you the more we’ll leave you alone. Promise!
— Popehat (@Popehat) December 15, 2015
Santorum discussing data algorithms based on his extensive experience as a victim of Google Bombing.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) December 15, 2015
It’s not often you get to use “Orwellian” correctly https://t.co/Hp6ev8n0Oa
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) December 15, 2015
But on the question of war against ISIS, one candidate set himself apart from the others.
“Kill every one of these bastards we could find” is one of the most Lindsey Graham things Lindsey Graham could every say at a debate.
— Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) December 16, 2015
Some out-of-context Lindsey Graham quotes: “Bring on the virgins.” “I’m not afraid of a guy riding around on a horse with his shirt off”
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) December 16, 2015
“I MISS GEORGE W. BUSH. I MISS HIS MUSK. I MISS HIS SMILE.” #GOPDebate
— Michael Deppisch (@deppisch) December 16, 2015
Lindsey Graham right now pic.twitter.com/wCgs4IqqDH
— Kyle Sammin (@KyleSammin) December 16, 2015
Graham dominated his the undercard in his resolve against jihadis, his advocacy of a strong military, and his laugh lines.
Lindsey Graham to Rick Santorum pic.twitter.com/5xeAaKRZyZ
— Ryan (@alwaysonoffense) December 16, 2015
Has there ever been a candidate with more funny lines and fewer votes than Lindsay Graham?
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) December 16, 2015
Full on Princess Bride ref. Now I’ve seen it all.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) December 16, 2015
The minor debate lasted two hours, leaving viewers in need of refreshment before the main event.
Got a hard cider and a Twitter account. Let’s do this. #GOPDebate
— Rick DeVos (@RickDeVos) December 16, 2015
This is my butler, right now. RT @Slublog Is there really such a thing as “enough wine” to endure these debates? pic.twitter.com/r95dPYEyjx
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) December 16, 2015
The only way to get through the #GOPDebate @SXMInsight pic.twitter.com/cjHgZjB2Dc
— Michael C Moynihan (@mcmoynihan) December 16, 2015
The nine more popular contenders took the stage next. They broke into six discrete mini-debates. The moderators desperately wanted to see Ted Cruz attack Trump. It was not to be.
Moderators to @tedcruz: "Please attack Trump!"
Cruz:
#GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/UIFqdoX2pz
— National Review (@NRO) December 16, 2015
Instead, the first conflict was between Cruz and Marco Rubio. They clashed over surveillance…
Cruz calls Rubio a liar. Rubio says the truth is classified.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) December 16, 2015
Rubio is 100% right in his account of metadata collection versus Cruz. Cruz is rather clever in trusting that nobody will be able to know.
— Jeff B@AoSHQDD (@EsotericCD) December 16, 2015
I don’t agree w/ Cruz on NSA issue. But he gave a strong and well-prepared answer.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) December 16, 2015
…war…
it sounds like cruz wants area-rug bombing more than carpet bombing
— andy levy (@andylevy) December 16, 2015
…and immigration.
Rubio finally got a couple of amnesty questions, and he absolutely nailed them. (Not saying I agree with him.)
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) December 16, 2015
Cruz hammers Rubio’s achilles heel and ends with a joke on Trump. That will play well.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) December 16, 2015
Cruz wouldn’t answer Rubio’s question. He got around it but will have to eventually
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) December 16, 2015
Neither was perfect, but both survived the exchange and looked to maintain their status as top-tier candidates.
Donald Trump and Jeb Bush reprised their sharp exchanges of the past few debates, with Bush doing more to even the odds.
Love that whenever someone uses phrases like “bombast and insults” everyone — including Trump — knows its aimed at him.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) December 16, 2015
Jeb straight up TROLLING Trump. Where’s this guy been?
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) December 16, 2015
Jeb seems to have actually gotten under Trump's skin. That may be a first.
— Molly Ball (@mollyesque) December 16, 2015
Bush called Trump a “chaos candidate,” and even reserved the website chaospresident.com, in case anyone thought it was spontaneous.
A thousand unnamed speed metal bands are currently fighting over the name "Chaos Candidate." #GOPDebate
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) December 16, 2015
Did Jeb just win an exchange with Trump? Huh. Never seen that before.
— Jordan Gehrke (@jmgehrke) December 16, 2015
A Jeb Bush with nothing to lose is my favorite version of Bush yet.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 16, 2015
Rand Paul and Chris Christie clashed, as they had before, over the balance between liberty and security.
Christie just called Obama a "feckless weakling" #GOPDebate
— Richard Walker (@rbsw) December 16, 2015
Christie: "A no fly zone means a no fly zone, Wolf. And while we're at it, let me tell you about the other rules of tautology club."
— Peter Suderman (@petersuderman) December 16, 2015
A no-fly zone means no flies. Mosquitos, OK. Bees, sure. Flies, nope. You see what the zone is called? No. Fly. Zone.
— Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) December 16, 2015
If you're in favor of WWIII, you have your candidate, Rand Paul says of Christie. We need a leader w/ judgment, restraint.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 16, 2015
Oh FFS Rand, you just ruined a perfectly good answer with a dumb Bridgegate comment
— Leon Wolf (@LeonHWolf) December 16, 2015
Ben Carson fought his own battle, first against a racking cough…
DEAR GOD WHO IS COUGHING?
— Lizzie O'Leary (@lizzieohreally) December 16, 2015
WILD speculation about who is coughing. #GOPDebate
— Ashe Schow (@AsheSchow) December 16, 2015
It's Carson coughing! I just saw it.
— Heather Wilhelm (@heatherwilhelm) December 16, 2015
…and then against his own awkward metaphors.
I literally could not tell if carson was talking about opening a kids head up in a good or a bad way the way he delivered that
— ಠ_ಠ (@MikeIsaac) December 16, 2015
Ben Carson: I will crack your head open. And you will thank me.
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) December 16, 2015
BLITZER: Ben Carson, would you bomb ISIS?
CARSON:…Imagine you're on an airplane, in an unhelpful metaphor.
— Peter Suderman (@petersuderman) December 16, 2015
What on EARTH is Ben Carson talking about
— Felix Salmon (@felixsalmon) December 16, 2015
Carly Fiorina, meanwhile, launched attacks on the patriarchy…
@CarlyFiorina just played the gender card again!!!! Enough already. #GOPDebate
— D. McAllister (@McAllisterDen) December 16, 2015
Don’t do the Hillary thing, Fiorina.
— L (@OrwellForks) December 16, 2015
…and then against the 1970s British Labour Party?
Margaret Thatcher just made her way inside Carly Fiorina's body. That was strong.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) December 16, 2015
Oy, the Thatcher quote.
— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) December 16, 2015
I love Thatcher and I love Fiorina, but I did not love Fiorina's use of that Thatcher quote. Identity politics are for the other party.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 16, 2015
Finally, John Kasich continued his struggle against irrelevance…
Oh, good. Here is kasich to scold
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) December 16, 2015
Kasich answers questions like he's in a freaking job interview.
"I care too much."
"I work too hard."
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) December 16, 2015
Kasich’s slogan: “I’m from Ohio!"
— Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) December 16, 2015
…and normal human body language.
Huh. Kasich has the same posture as late-series Alan Alda in M*A*S*H
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) December 16, 2015
Kasich is like Edward Scissorhands
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) December 16, 2015
What, you mean unwatchable? https://t.co/bcR2kECIIZ
— Nick Gillespie (@nickgillespie) December 16, 2015
@EWErickson Kasich cant spread his fingers…..Penguin Hands #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/Z6fqV5H7go
— Andrew J Ash (@AndrewJAsh) December 16, 2015
But as the night dragged on, the real enemy was time:
Wolf Blitzer, nearly two hours in: "We're only just beginning!"
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) December 16, 2015
There were no major mistakes, but neither did any candidate triumph over his enemy. When it finally ended, though, one fact was indisputable.
#GOPDebate was the worst episode of Celebrity Apprentice ever. pic.twitter.com/VeOHQzmeth
— Justice Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) December 16, 2015