Nov. 28 Republican debate transcript

Take a look.

(Videotape)

Cooper: Many groups tried to organize submissions. Will Dick Armey's question be seen tonight?

Dick Armey: I will put that together as a YouTube...

Snowman Cartoon Character: And this is a question for Mitt Romney...

Cooper: How about the much maligned snowman? Will he rear his frozen head here in sunny Saint Pete?

UFO cartoon character: So he wants to know what you would do about me and other kids like me -- the unwitting children of illegal -- well, you know.

Cooper: Dennis Kucinich may have seen a UFO, but we'll have no little green men here in Florida.

Actor as the ghost of Richard Nixon: I am the ghost of Richard Nixon!

We won't be seeing Richard Nixon, or little kids used to make adult points.

Though, there is one question where kids may make an appearance. And don't worry, we tried to keep out of most of the Abe Lincolns and Ben Franklins, and all the animals, both stuffed...

Sparky: My name is Sparky.

Cooper: ... and real.

Schmoopsy: Schmoopsy here with a question for the Republican candidate.

(End videotape)

(Applause)

Cooper: Sadly, Schmoopsy will not be heard from tonight.

The candidates will have 90 seconds to answer the YouTube questions, the questions that are asked direct to them, 30 seconds for any follow-up questions that I may ask.

Cooper: There are no lights, no bells, no buzzers, no electric shocks. We prefer the honor system here. We'll warn the candidates when they need to wrap things up.

We also will insist that candidates stay on the question that was being asked and not stray off to an earlier or another topic. Americans put a lot of time into submitting these questions. We think they deserve direct answers.

Finally, tonight we are not in the business of discouraging applause from our audience here, or passion, but please, if it gets out of control, we will ask the crowd here to keep it down just a little bit.

All right, let's begin.

The governor introduced the candidates.

He did a very good job of it, but one Republican wanted to do that also, and he does it in a way that reminds us this is definitely a new kind of a debate.

Here is Chris Nandor from Snohomish, Washington.

Chris Nandor singing: The grand old party's looking for somebody who can lead, someone who is electable and adheres to our creed.

Some say the group is not diverse; they're white, they're men, but wait. The Dems have just one candidate, Republicans have eight.

Rudy's leading all the polls, but can he win the base?

Mitt changed on abortion; history he can't erase.

Ron Paul would end the FDA and that is just a start.

Fred has just begun to run, but sure does look the part.

Hunter tells us what to do in foreign policy debates.

Huckabee's compassionate and lost a lot of weight.

Tancredo says let's build a fence across the whole Southwest.

McCain is loved by many and hated by the rest.

We don't know who we're voting for; we don't know who will win. That's why we use YouTube to ask our questions of these men.

Time is short, we're voting soon, and I just thought I'd mention. If we don't reach consensus, then we'll decide at convention.

(Applause)

Cooper: All right, enough of the singing, enough of the snowmen. Let's begin the debate.

From one tough-talking New Yorker, a question to another tough- talking New Yorker.

Ernie Nardi: This is Ernie Nardi from Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, New York, with a question for the ex-Mayor Giuliani.

Under your administration, as well as others, New York City was operated as a sanctuary city, aiding and abetting illegal aliens.

I would like to know, if you become president of the United States, will you continue to aid and abet the flight of illegal aliens into this country?

Cooper: Mayor Giuliani?