Republicans walk tightrope over war in Iraq

Republican presidential candidates gave a qualified endorsement Thursday night to President Bush’s strategy in the war in Iraq, criticizing the administration for mismanaging the war but insisting that U.S. troops should not be withdrawn.

In the first Republican debate of the 2008 campaign, the 10 most prominent contenders walked a fine line on the war. On one hand, they were reluctant to wholeheartedly back Bush’s strategy, which polls show is unpopular with the public at large; on the other, they could not afford to abandon the president and antagonize conservative Republicans who vote in the party’s presidential primary.

The candidate in the most difficult position, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, stuck by his guns in being the president’s strongest backer, a position his advisers said showed his willingness to remain true to his principles regardless of popularity.

Asked how he would handle Iraq if elected, McCain allowed that the war had been “terribly mismanaged,” but he added: “We have a new general, [and] we have a new strategy. That strategy can succeed.”

By contrast, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee criticized Bush for firing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after the 2004 presidential election. He said he would have fired Rumsfeld before the election.

“Clearly, there was a real error in judgment,” Huckabee said, saying the administration did not listen closely enough to veteran military commanders who warned that the war would be long and difficult.

The sharpest disagreements of the night came on abortion. All but one candidate, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, called for repeal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion nationwide, putting Giuliani, the party’s front-runner in the early going, sharply at odds with its base.

The U.S. campaign to track down al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden did give the candidates a chance to take a clear-cut position. All who were asked said the mission was imperative, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who tried to clarify his previous statement that the war on terrorism “is more than about just one man.”

Romney repeated that “this is about more than Osama bin Laden,” but he said firmly, “He will have to pay, and he is going to die.”

McCain was equally blunt, promising, “We will bring him to justice, and I will follow him to the gates of hell.”

Giuliani looks to consolidate lead
The debate was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., north of Los Angeles. The debate, co-sponsored by MSNBC and the political Web site politico.com, aired on MSNBC-TV and C-SPAN radio and was streamed live on MSNBC.com.

Reagan’s legacy was acknowledged almost immediately, when Giuliani said he would “lead with optimism.”

“What we can borrow from Ronald Reagan, since we are in his library, is that great sense of optimism,” he said.

Giuliani was hoping to build momentum on recent polls that show him leading the field. A poll released Thursday by Quinnipiac University showed Giuliani leading McCain by 27 percent to 19 percent. Romney trailed with 8 percent.

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Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, chairman of the Republican National Committee, acknowledged polls that indicate that many Republicans are unhappy with the candidates on offer, but he said, “I think tonight as they get better known, as they deal with the issues and people get to compare and contrast, I expect those numbers will increase.”

The other candidates on the stage Thursday night were Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Tommy Thompson, a former governor of Wisconsin and Bush’s first secretary of health and human services.

Picking the president — the candidates Click a name below to visit that candidate’s MSNBC page • Joe Biden                 • Sam Brownback     • Hillary Clinton          • Chris Dodd • John Edwards         • Rudy Giuliani           • Mike Gravel              • Duncan Hunter • Mike Huckabee        • Dennis Kucinich     • John McCain           • Barack Obama • Ron Paul                    • Bill Richardson      • Mitt Romney            • Tom Tancredo • Fred Thompson To subscribe to a candidate page RSS feed, click here.

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