Hopefuls debate terror question

GOP candidates would steer clear of torture if terrorists are captured on U.S. soil

COLUMBIA — The 10 Republican presidential candidates traded views on the war in Iraq, spending in Washington and then got a chance to explain what they would do if terrorists struck again on U.S. soil.

Tuesday's nationally televised debate was their second in as many weeks, and their first on the East Coast.

While most questions touched on the major issues, FOX News mixed things up at the end by asking how candidates would react to hypothetical suicide bomber attacks on U.S. soil in which some suspected terrorists were caught moments afterward, and more attacks were believed to be on the way.

U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona said he would stick with the Army field manual and avoid torture. "It's not about terrorists. It's about us and what kind of country we are."

Others suggested that, as president, they would interrogate more aggressively. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he would tell the army to "use every method they could think of," and alluded to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center while he was mayor. "I've seen what happens when you make a mistake about this."

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said he would support "enhanced interrogation techniques … but not torture." He said the real question is how to prevent attacks, not how to respond to them.

Most candidates also rehashed their stump speeches on the Iraq war. Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson said his solution to Iraq would split the county's oil revenues into thirds, with slices going to Iraq's federal government, its distinct regions and its citizens. "That's why my plan will work and ensure peace in Iraq," he said.

Brit Hume of FOX News, who moderated the debate at the University of South Carolina's Koger Center, began by saying that many campaigns already had issued statements about the sudden death of the Rev. Jerry Falwell earlier in the day, and candidates would not speak about it further on stage.

Still, questions about the social issues that Falwell fought for, such as banning abortion, popped up in the second round of questioning.

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas defended his reluctance to allow a woman impregnated by a rape to have an abortion. "It's the centerpiece of what makes us unique as American people. We value life," he said. "It's what separates us from the Islamic jihadists that are out to kill us."

The biggest debate within the debate came when U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas said the 9/11 attacks were prompted by the United States' presence in the Middle East.

Giuliani asked to reply and said, "I don't think I've ever heard that before, and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations."

Paul stuck to his guns and said the GOP must return to its traditional non-interventionist foreign policy. "They don't come here and attack us because we're rich and free. They attack us because we're over there," he said.

While the debate was held just blocks from where a Confederate battle flag flies on the Statehouse grounds, only one question — directed to McCain — touched on the flag. McCain said he was wrong to say previously that it was a state issue when the flag flew above the dome, but he then drew heavy applause from the partisan crowd by adding, "I think it's time we all moved on on this issue."

The crowd was urged not to applaud answers, and mostly respected that. They did laugh several times, most loudly when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee complained about federal spending. "We had a Congress that spent money like John Edwards in a beauty shop," a reference to the Democratic presidential candidate's infamous $400 haircut.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, who is building his campaign largely around halting illegal immigration, said it sounded like many candidates were having on-stage conversions about immigration, guns and other issues. "It's beginning to sound like a Baptist tent revival meeting," he said. "I trust these conversions when they happen on the road to Damascus, not on the road to Des Moines."

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, whose San Diego neighbors sat in the audience, said the porous U.S.-Mexican border is the nation's biggest homeland security problem. "It's not just an immigration problem," he said.

Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, also a former Republican National Committee chairman, was asked why Republicans — unlike the Democratic presidential field — don't have a woman, Hispanic or black in the race. Gilmore said he has worked to reach out to those groups, and predicted more GOP candidates will emerge from them.

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or rbehre@postandcourier.com.