This post is divided thusly:

1- Initial commentary on debate and this post's format
2- Delineation of which questions I deem to be Fair, Bogus, and Irrelevant, including an explanation, short or involved, as to why I labelled each question the way I did
3- Final commentary of the overall debate
4- All 78 questions for your reference

You will need to use the Here's more... link to see everything beyond #2
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As I stated previously, I didn't watch the debate when it aired. I have since had the opportunity to watch the debate online, and my impression of Chris Matthews is not particularly favorable. I don't know who chose Matthews to moderate the event; maybe they pulled his name out of a hat, but on several occasions the debate felt more like an episode of Hardball, than a presidential debate. Matthews was less than courteous on several occasions and more than a few of the questions flirted with condescension. In short, Matthews, in my estimation, was ill-suited to his role as moderator. I don't imagine Keith Olbermann would have done better. Who else does MSNBC have?


As to the questions posed by Matthews and "readers of Politico.com", I categorized them as either,

'Fair', to mean there's nothing wrong with that question (whether I liked it or not)

'Bogus', to mean the question's premise was either flawed or the question itself reeked of political bias, was tainted by uninformed opinion, or reflected a personal antipathy toward either the candidates on stage or the Republican party as a whole

Or 'Irrelevant', to mean the question was simply stupid and had no bearing on why ANY of the candidates should or shouldn't be elected president.



Fair Questions: 42
[since I'm not commenting on the questions I think were fair, I'll simply list them here by number]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19,
23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 36,
43, 44, 46, 47, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 58, 61, 62,
69, 71, 75, 76


Bogus Questions: 25
[By their corresponding numbers]

6) What percentage of that 55% actually knows anything about war in general, or anything about this war in particular; knowledge they gleaned on their own SANS the tripe the MSM has been feeding them? 'Why shouldn't they have a president who will listen?' Do the people really want a president who takes direction from the uninformed? The president has access to information the bulk of Americans never see, as well as advisers. We elect presidents to make the hard decisions, not throw a moistened finger into the air to determine where public opinion is blowing.

16) Anyone capable of thinking for himself should know that Middle Eastern sentiment toward the West in general, and the U.S. specifically, has been one of bitter toleration only because of our perceived, albeit very 'real' strength. But Americans have been killed by Muslims for decades simply for being American. Hostages on passenger jets shot, their bodies thrown to the tarmac, simply because they were American. 69 year old Leon Klinghoffer from New York, killed by terrorists while a passenger on the Achille Lauro in October of '85. This question presupposes that hatred of America by radical Islam began with George W. Bush, which is complete rubbish.

18) And everyone laughed when Matthews referred to the Constitution as 'divinely inspired' and yet the question is puerile at best. There is a reason why our Constitution requires a candidate be a natural-born citizen of the United States to be eligible to run for the office of President? But let me ask, do other countries allow foreigners to ascend THEIR political thrones?

20) 'What do you dislike most about America?' Wha!? What candidate in his right mind would actually answer that question!?

21) '...thousands of reputable scientists have concluded with almost certainty...' 'certainty' in their own minds, at least, and yet the debate rages across the American, and the world's, landscape. Vehement disagreement. There are plenty of reputable scientists who have concluded with almost certainty that Global Warming is nothing more than the latest 'Chicken Little' flavor of the month.

22) This was a question from a savvy politico.com reader. Presidents can't force Americans to sign organ donor cards. And if they could this would be a fascist state akin to China who routinely sells the organs of convicted prisoners; to say nothing of its one-child-per-family policy and the system of forced abortions that enforces it, and that is not what America is. The best ANY president can do is seek to educate the public.

38) there was a round of laughter at the question 'is Karl Rove your friend?' What possible relevance does Karl Rove have, especially in the context of the question, to do with this presidential debate? The second question, whether or not the candidate would want to keep Rove on at the White House, is an obvious political jab designed to single out the candidate unwary enough to say 'yes' as un-fit for the Oval Office. Karl Rove in this context makes this question hugely bogus.

39) This question is essentially the same as #38. I give it 'distinct' status because Matthews was unwilling to let this fish go. The antipathy toward Rove by the Left AND, by extension, the Media, borders on apoplectic. I half expected to see Matthews drooling like a wild-eyed lunatic when he asked this question.

40) I wonder if any Democrats got this question: 'Has the increased influence of far-left anti-war nut-bags in your party been good for it?' Sheesh!

41) 'What's with your party and all this corruption?' PUH-leeze! What a hypocrite!

45) A juvenile question if ever there was one! I realize some of these questions came from online viewers via email, but the hosts CHOSE to read these questions on air. And why? Because these moderators were enjoying themselves taking pot-shots at the candidates.

48) This question hearkens back to question 22. Again, the solution this question asks for is beyond the pervue of presidents. The president can't erase hatred from the hearts of his people. Absolutely stupid, and therefore bogus, question.

49) This one hearkens back to question 20. What candidate in his right mind would answer that question by naming one of his competitors?

55) 'That makes no sense.' He's right, it's a stupid question.

57) More laughter on this one. This question demonstrates their obvious disdain for Senator Lieberman, and was nothing more than a political fishing expedition.

59) Does McCain believe in Evolution!? So what!? And why was this question asked if not to give people who might be thinking, 'Hey, I like this guy!' reason to brush him off as a religious kook if he answers 'no'? Another 'hit' question, this one.

60) By all means let's ask EVERYONE this question!

63) Ugh! What a reprehensible question. I can't wait to hear it asked to a Liberal at the next Democratic debate.

64) 'Do you trust the mainstream media?' !! After the kind of questions you've asked so far!?? Hello!?

65) Another stupid question. Of course his personal religious views direct his decision making, and would if he were elected president. Such views have guided every elected or unelected official in the history of the world, whether they believed in a god or not. Everyone has religion, whether they believe in God or not. This question was obviously crafted to single out those who might run the White House as the hated George W. Bush, who wears his faith on his sleeve, has.

66) 'Most significant weakness...' Again! Why would any candidate in his right mind answer such a ridiculous question?

68) 'Scandals plaguing the current administration' Huh!? 'corruption and cronyism' Wha? Scandals manufactured by Democrats for the most part, many of which were NON-scandals, and eagerly hyped by a gleeful dishonest Media. And completely hypocritical in light of their own scandals, past and present.

70) And if he's off by even one soldier wounded or dead is he somehow not eligible to be President? This, if I'm not mistaken, was another question from an online viewer... a smarmy online viewer. I will grant the question this much: Being in the general ballpark at least shows the candidate is keeping up with the media's constant, gleefully delivered body-count. Over-all, however, this question is pointless puerile.

77) This question is essentially the same as question #76, yet it's fundamentally different. In 76 it was an innocent enough question. A fair question. But with this iteration, Matthews calls the White House, Bill Clinton's 'Home'. What a completely bogus question.

78) This one is as interesting as it is bogus. The question, interestingly prefaced, presupposes that Bush like every other president before him had to clean someone else's mess, which on the surface is ridiculous... Presidents make what changes they can depending on how amenable or hostile Congress is toward that particular president and his desired changes. What's interesting about this question is the underlying, unintended-and-hidden-from-view question, 'What mess of Bill Clinton's did Bush have to clean up?'



Irrelevant Questions: 11
[By their corresponding numbers]

8) Completely irrelevant. Governor Huckabee WASN'T president last year. Furthermore, Governor Huckabee isn't George W. Bush! It's a smear question.

9) Well, we know that's what Democrats and the Media would like to see! Anything to further cripple this president. Another pointless question.

34) What would a Mormon have to say about the Roman Catholic Church's decision to deny communion to supporters of infanticide? Ridiculously irrelevant!

35) 'Interference in public life'? What happened to 'Separation of Church and State' fella's? Oh, that's right! It's okay for State to squash Church, but how dare Church squash State! Irrelevant and hypocritical.

37) What does this question have to do with the coming presidential election!? It's more suited to 'Hardball with Chris Matthews' than a preside... oh, that's right. It WAS 'Hardball with Chris Matthews'. It's still irrelevant.

42) '...serious problems of ethics violations'? Hypocritical, and not the least bit relevant.

50) '"An Inconvenient Truth"'? Completely irrelevant! If he HAD seen it, would that make him a viable candidate for president? It's just an attempt to get one candidate to smear another in a forum that was ill-suited for a debate to begin with-- Especially in light of the fact that this was anything BUT a debate... it was a news conference.

67) 'Do you find any faults in Mayor Giuliani?' Again, where's the relevance to the man's fitness for the office of President?

72) Irrelevant, and a trap to boot.

73) Answering this question loses the candidate who says 'yes' votes, and the moderator knows it. It's a pointless question.

74) File this one under, 'Please, would someone like to fall into my evil trap?' No bearing on Election Night '08 at all.




Final Note:

Overall, this debate was an embarrassment for MSNBC, though I suspect they didn't see it as such. I've said it before, and I'm saying it again: Foolishness is rarely seen as such by those who perform it. Or rather, a fool never looks in the mirror and sees a fool.

This debate was anything BUT a debate. For one, there were too many contenders on the stage and no repartee to speak of, and no opportunity for rebuttal. It was as someone said, 'a glorified press conference'-- that, and a convenient forum for Democratic operatives in the Drive-by media to attempt to make damaged-goods of the Republican field of candidates. Thankfully the Drive-by's were unsuccessful.

In light of, but not solely because of MSNBC's abysmal performance, it was also hugely hypocritical for Democratic candidates to pull out of a debate that was to air on FOX for fear of biased and unfair questions. They feared they would be handled roughly by Republican "shills" from FOX News, but perhaps the reason they thought this was because it is exactly what THEY would have done... and did. But THEY would have gotten better treatment at Fox than Republicans got at MSNBC. Of that I have little doubt.




The Questions:
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1) In the NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, just 22 percent believe this country is on the right track. Mayor Giuliani, how do we get back to Ronald Reagan's "morning in America"?

2) Senator McCain, most of the public pessimism today has to do with Iraq. How -- what would you need, as commander in chief, to win the war in Iraq?

3) Do you need anything beyond what the president has now to win the war?

4) Governor Thompson, if you're commander in chief and you want to win this war in Iraq, what do you need to do to win it?

5) Recent polls in the Islamic world reveal a sea of hostility toward the United States, feeding what General Petraeus calls the central front of al Qaeda in Iraq. How do we win this war if every dead terrorist is so easily replaced?

6) Governor Romney, in that same NBC Wall Street Journal poll, 55 percent of Americans say victory is just not possible in Iraq. They've made up their minds on this war. Why shouldn't they have a president who will listen?

7) How do you deal with the problem, revealed in a recent Zogby poll, that in countries that are moderate, you mentioned -- like Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, another Islamic country -- 10, 12 percent of the people support us; the rest are angry at us. Doesn't that create a sea of recruitment opportunity for our enemy? And how -- I'm just asking, do we have to reduce that temperature of hatred before we win the war, or simply continue to fight the terrorists?

8) Governor Huckabee, I'd like to get your views about how you balance loyalty and accountability. Would you have fired Don Rumsfeld before last November?

9) The Rumsfeld removal was perhaps timed to the election. Do you think a general shake-up in this administration's Cabinet right now would be good for the administration?

10) Congressman Paul, you voted against the war. Why are all your fellow Republicans up here wrong?

11) Senator McCain. Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson said that Iran has already committed acts of war. Do you agree? And secondly, as part of that, what's your trip wire for a U.S. strike in Iran?

12) Let me follow up a little bit, Senator… What is your tripwire? Is it the building of a nuclear weapon? The threat to use a weapon once built? A delivery system? Is it preemptive or preventive?

13) Congressman Tancredo, along those lines, imagine you're president of the United States and this is a likely or possible scenario, certainly plausible. You get a call from the prime minister of Israel, the prime minister of Israel, who's now Ehud Olmert, saying Israel's about to strike Iran's nuclear sites and he wants U.S. help. What do you say?

14) If the prime minister asks you for help, you say you will say yes?

15) Governor Gilmore, of Virginia, when speaking about Osama bin Laden last week, Governor Romney said, quote, "It's not worth moving heaven and earth, spending billions of dollars, just trying to catch one person." Senator McCain called that naive. Who's right?

16) Is President Bush partly responsible [hostility in Middle East toward U.S.], for that, in your view?

17) Senator McCain, would [you be] comfortable with Tom Tancredo, a staunch opponent of illegal immigration, as head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service?

18) Should we change our Constitution, which we believe is divinely inspired, to allow men like Mel Martinez, the chairman of your party, born in Cuba, great patriot, senator from Florida, and Arnold Schwarzenegger to stand here some night? [Schwarzenegger is in the audience]

19) Mayor Giuliani, [is] there's anything you learned or regret during your time as mayor in your dealings with the African-American community?

20) Governor Romney, what do you dislike most about America?

21) Governor Huckabee, thousands of reputable scientists have concluded with almost certainty that human activity is responsible for the warming of the Earth. Do you believe global warming exists?

22) Congressman Tancredo, do you have a plan to solve the shortage of organs donated for transplant?

23) Congressman Hunter, do you consider yourself a compassionate conservative, like President Bush?

24) Congressman Paul, if you were president, would you work to phase out the IRS?

25) Would the day that Roe v. Wade is repealed be a good day for Americans?

26) Governor Gilmore, you have said in the past that you believe in the first eight to 12 weeks of pregnancy, that a woman should have the right to have an abortion. Do you still stick with that exception?

27) Governor Thompson, do you have any nuance on this, or you're just happy with the repeal of Roe. v. Wade?

28) Governor Romney, in recent months you've said you were, quote, "always for life," but we've also heard you say you were once, quote, "effectively pro-choice." Which is it?

29) Senator Brownback, could you support a nominee of your party who is not pro-life?

30) Mayor Giuliani, became very well known for standing up against the use of public funds for what many people considered indecent exhibits at the Brooklyn Museum and places like that. Why do you support the use of public funds for abortion?

31) Senator McCain, we’re in the house of Ronald Reagan. Every cab driver in America knew what Ronald Reagan stood for: defeat communism abroad, reduce big government at home. Can you, Senator McCain, restore that kind of unity of purpose?

32) Dr. Paul, how do you reconcile this moral -- moral leadership kind of role of conservatism with the very libertarian strain of conservatism, the Barry Goldwater conservatism that you represent? How do you put together what [McCain] just said with what you believe in a unified national purpose?

33) Governor Thompson, if a private employer finds homosexuality immoral, should he be allowed to fire a gay worker?

34) Governor Romney, what do you say to Roman Catholic bishops who would deny communion to elected officials who support abortion rights?

35) Do you see that as interference in public life?

36) Governor Huckabee, you've criticized Governor Romney for saying his faith wouldn't get in the way of his public life, his governing. Do you want to back that up tonight?

37) Gentlemen, let's talk a bit about the future of your party. Congressman Hunter, Governor Schwarzenegger -- who is here tonight -- has won the state twice by downplaying partisanship and taking centrist positions on the environment, immigration, abortion. Is that the way to win for Republicans?

38) Governor Gilmore, you know Karl Rove and you've worked with Karl Rove. And -- is Karl Rove your friend? Do you want to keep him in the White House if you get elected president as the president's chief political operative?

39) But you, as commander in chief and chief executive, would you employ Karl Rove?

40) Mayor Giuliani, has the increased influence of Christian conservatives in your party been good for it?

41) Senator Brownback, Jack Abramoff, Mark Foley, Duke Cunningham in prison for bribes. Just last month, FBI raids of two Republican members of Congress. What's with your party and all this corruption?

42) Congressman Tancredo, you want to respond to that question… about these serious problems of ethics violations?

43) Senator McCain, when you announced last week, you took a couple shots at incompetence in government. You talked about you wouldn't put up with having police and fire radios on different frequencies, and I somehow got the idea you were talking about New York City.

44) Senator McCain. Chris Harris from Manhattan, Kansas, is very concerned about the budget and about deficits. He wants to know what specific programs would you cut if you were president?

45) Governor Huckabee, a Politico.com reader wants a letter grade; he wants to know A through F, how would you rate the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war?

46) Governor Romney, you said that being a pro-life president entails more than just appointing strict constructionist judges. A Politico.com reader wants to know what you meant by that, and whether that was directed specifically at Mayor Giuliani?

47) Mayor Giuliani, do you want to respond to this? Because it seems like across the room here there's strong, unrelenting -- with the exception of Governor Gilmore -- an unrelenting pro-life position. You seem to have a nuanced position on this. Many people think you're pro-choice. Could you define it in a couple of seconds?

48) Governor Thompson, is racism still a problem in our society? And can a president do anything about it?

49) Congressman Tancredo, beside yourself, who do you think should be the Republican nominee for president of the United States, and why?

50) Congressman Hunter, [have] you watched Al Gore's environmental documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth"?

51) Congressman Paul, perhaps the most important skill a good president must have is the ability to make good, sound decisions, often in a crisis situation. Please cite an example when you had to make a decision in crisis.

52) Governor Gilmore, women are the fastest growing prison population. Most are mothers who are non-violent, first-time offenders. What will you do to address the issue of mothers behind bars and the children left behind?

53) Mrs. Reagan wants to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Will that progress under your administration?

54) Governor Romney, a year ago, it seemed that you couldn't wait to tell the world about your health care experiment in Massachusetts. Since then it's been criticized by conservatives as something Hillary Clinton could have devised. You hardly mention it on your website. What's changed?

55) Senator McCain, some of your colleagues have been hit pretty hard on flip-flops. But you now support extending President Bush's tax cuts, but you originally voted against them. That makes no sense.

56) I want each candidate to mention a tax he'd like to cut, in addition to the Bush tax cuts, keeping them in effect.

57) Senator McCain, you said you plan to appoint a Democrat to a major Cabinet post. Tell us some of the Democrats you've got in mind. We'll give you bonus points if you give us a name other than Senator Lieberman.

58) Congressman Hunter, name one thing that the federal government does really well and one thing that it does poorly?

59) Senator McCain, yes or no, do you believe in evolution?

60) Is there anybody on the stage that does not believe in evolution?

61) Governor Romney, which Cabinet official would be at the top of the list of those you'd like to carry into your administration if you're elected?

62) Mayor Giuliani, what is the difference between a Sunni and a Shi'a Muslim?

63) Governor Gilmore, explain [why] none of the other candidates deserves to label themselves as the true conservative.

64) Congressman Paul, do you trust the mainstream media?

65) Senator Brownback, [do] your personal religious beliefs influence your foreign policy thinking?

66) Mayor Giuliani, what do you consider to be your most significant weakness as a candidate for the president of the United States?

67) Senator Brownback, do you find any faults in Mayor Giuliani? I saw you looking attentively waiting for him to say something?

68) Governor Huckabee, in light of the scandals plaguing the current administration and its allies, involving corruption and cronyism, which mistakes have you learned not to repeat?

69) Congressman Tancredo, will you work to protect women's rights, as in fair wages and reproductive choice?

70) Governor Thompson, how many American soldiers have lost their lives in the Iraq war and how many have been injured to date?

71) Mayor Giuliani, explain it and defend it: a national tamper-proof ID card.

72) Do you think Scooter Libby should be pardoned? Governor Romney?

73) The judge is going to rule on [Libby’s] case next month and decide whether he will be imprisoned during his appeal. Would you let it go, let him be imprisoned?

74) Does anybody want to pardon him? I want to save time here. Does any gentleman want to raise his hand and say pardon him?

75) On the Terri Schaivo case. Again, it was a question of whether the United States -- the U.S. Congress should have intervened and passed a law to advise the appellate court whether to act or not in this case, the district court it was. Terri Schaivo, should Congress have acted or let the family make the decision, the husband?

76) Seriously, would it be good for America to have Bill Clinton back living in the White House?

77) Congressman Hunter, Bill Clinton back home?

78) Every president, if you look back to Ike, was elected to fill the problem of the previous president. We are of course correcting all the time in this country. It's how democracy works. How will you be different in any way from President George W. Bush?

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I thought when I started this post that I'd give the Democratic debate this same treatment, but since I've spent the better part of 8 hours working on this-- including the graph --the best I'm going to do with that one is make a list of the questions... maybe a graph... but not much else. All that's really needed is to lay out the questions the Democrats were asked to justify my calling them hypocrites. I have no doubt they did not suffer the same treatment as the Republicans did.

Thanks for wading though all this.