I can say without qualification that last night's Republican Presidentail debate in the Sioux City Convention Center was one of the greatest happenings with which I have been associated.  Char and I enjoyed great seats, so we got to see all the movers and shakers up close and personal.  Lots of interesting dynamics in the crowd but the real show was on stage, of course.

Three candidates did very well, three did great and one disqualified himself from serious consideration as a person in whom we might trust the security of this nation.  More on that later.

Huntsman, Bachmann and Perry did very well.  This was perhaps the best performance we have seen from either Bachmann or Perry.  Both were sharp, articulate and had some topics upon which they were able to distinguish themselves from the others.  Good for them.  Gingrich, Romney and Santorum were absolutely marvelous.  Newt had to withstand a withering cross-fire during the first 45 minutes of the event, but withstand he did.  Romney showed a lot of leadership last night be taking the high ground and reminding everyone that the real purpose of running for president was the defeat of Barack Hussein Obama.  Santorum, when he got the chance to speak, was as confident, relaxed and as focused as I have ever seen him.  "This guy could be president" is what I heard a lot as we worked our way out of the event.  Good for all of them.

The one person who did severe damage to his campaign was Ron Paul.  I suspect that among his rabid followers, he will see even greater strength, but this man's world view is dangerous to this nation and the world.  No one could come to the conclusions he has about the security of this nation rationally or with any thought.  His positions on national security are reckless, uninformed and more compatible with a world one might have found 100 years ago.  His ever-increasingly bizarre pronouncements denying world events would be entertaining if he were not running for President.  As a candidate, he scares me to death.

I made some pretty strong statments on the radio this morning about Dr. Paul, and as expected, I have started to receive attacks that are typical of the run of the mill Paul supporter.  Screaming at the top of your lungs does not make someone right, just hoarse.  Ron Paul may well represent his constituents in Texas well, but one must energize the political process to assure he does no harm as president.