New Hampshire Primary ; Prez Wannabes Duke It Out

Jan 06, 07:04 PM

MANCHESTER, N.H. - After losing to upstart Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Iowa and falling behind in the Granite State, former Bay State Gov. Mitt Romney bore the brunt of his GOP rivals' attacks in last night's critical ABC/WMUR-TV debate with the election's first primary looming.

"I just want to say to Governor Romney: We disagree on a lot of issues, but I agree that you are the candidate of change," said Sen. John McCain, who was leading Romney anywhere from 2 to 14 points in several Granite State polls released yesterday.

By "change," McCain meant Romney's much-catalogued flip-flopping on major issues.

McCain, riding a wave of support after the near-collapse of his campaign last summer, sought to flash his foreign policy credentials and noted that he was the only candidate who questioned the Iraq strategy of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

"I strongly disagree with the strategy employed by Secretary Rumsfeld, and I'm the only one who disagreed at the time," McCain said. "And I again say that I'm glad to know that now everybody supported the surge."

McCain later added, "I know how to lead. I've been involved in these issues. I know how to solve them."

Romney and key New Hampshire rival McCain did agree on one point: They joined in a chorus of praise for President Bush's success in keeping the United States safe since Sept. 11.

Romney criticized Huckabee's controversial article in Foreign Affairs magazine, insinuating that Huckabee lacked an understanding of the realities of Islamic extremism by writing that the Bush administration's foreign policy strategy is guilty of an "arrogant bunker mentality."

Said Romney: "The president is not arrogant. The president is not subject to a bunker mentality. The president has acted in America's best interest to keep us safe."

In the ensuing back-and-forth, Romney told Huckabee not to "characterize" his stands on issues, to which Huckabee replied with a zinger: "Which one?"

The usually unflappable Romney visibly grimaced.

The debate unfolded with the six Republican presidential hopefuls arrayed around a semi-circular table, facing moderator Charles Gibson of ABC News.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson also got in a zinger as Romney indicated support for some form of mandated health care coverage.

"I like mandates," Romney said.

"The ones you come up with?" Thompson replied.

Ex-Big Apple Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his candidacy slumping, said Bush "got the big decision of his presidency right . . . when he put us on the offense against Islamic terrorists."

Romney and McCain sparred on immigration, an issue that has haunted McCain since the defeat of his futile bipartisan reform bill.

"It's not amnesty," McCain said to Romney. "You can spend your whole fortune on these attack ads, my friend, but it still won't be true."

The atmosphere was tense at times, with the heated Romney a clear punching bag while McCain often reclined in an effort to look above the fray.

Originally published by By JESSICA VAN SACK.

(c) 2008 Boston Herald. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved. New Hampshire Primary ; Prez Wannabes Duke It Out
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