Liveblogging the debate, 3

Tweety asks Gilmore if Bush should shake up his cabinet. Gilmore responds by calling for engagement in the Middle East. Que? Also: another R-bomb.

Thank God for Ron Paul -- he may be the only thing interesting to happen tonight. I'm hoping he chews McCain's leg off.

Now it comes to Iran: what's McCain's tripwire for war? McCain resists the temptation to break out in song. He also resists the temptation to answer the question. Tweety presses, and McCain indicates that the tripwire, for him, would be Iran actually possessing a nuclear weapon.

Giuliani, answering the same question: "Blah blah blah, Ronald Reagan, blah, blah, Ronald Reagan, blah."

Twice now, the moderators have tried to get Gilmore to criticize Bush. Why are they picking on him?

We're 21 minutes in, and all we've heard is a bunch of guys in suits telling us how important it is that bad stuff not happen in the Middle East.

Romney sounds blase about Bin Laden, McCain responds to a question about immigration by seizing the opportunity to yell about Osama, laying into an obviously pre-planned tough-guy boast: Squinting into the camera, he shouts "I'll follow him to the gates of hell!" Everyone else in the room is quite obviously embarassed by the display.

Give us more Ron Paul!  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 7:12 PM