59 minutes. Giuliani says something about "reasonable regulations" of guns, prompting a torrent of boos from the audience. "Let him answer," says the Coop. "Let me finish," says Giuliani. It doesn't matter. The former mayor has already lost much of the hardcore gun vote.
63 minutes. The candidates are all asked how many and what type of guns they own. McCain says he used to carry a .45 as a Navy pilot, but no longer owns a gun. Thompson says, "I own a couple of guns, but I'm not going to tell you what they are or where they are." Romney says, "I have two guns in my home. They are owned by my son Josh. He buys expensive things for me." This last one is an odd answer. If Josh bought the guns for his father, why would they still be owned by Josh? And if Josh owned the guns, why would they be in his father's house?
65 to 72 minutes. There are questions about black-on-black crime and punishing women and their doctors for abortion. Romney says he would promote two-parent families to end black-on-black crime. Thompson says overturning Roe v. Wade "should be our No. 1 focus right now." Apparently, this makes a 1973 Supreme Court ruling more important than terrorism, the Iraq war and the economy.
73 minutes. A guy named Tyler from Texas asks, "The death penalty, what would Jesus do?" Huckabee, the former Baptist pastor, dodges the question. "Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office," he says. "That's what Jesus would do."
75 minutes. Another Jesus question. "Do you believe every word of this book?" asks Joseph from Dallas, holding up the Holy Bible, presumably both the new and old testaments. The question goes to Giuliani. "Do I need to help you out, Mayor, on this one?" asks Huckabee. Laughter all around. Giuliani answers on his own, saying he reads the Bible frequently for guidance, but does not take every word literally.
77 minutes. Romney looks a little uncomfortable with the question. In a matter of seconds, he manages to say that he believes the Bible is "the word of God" five times. Huckabee saves Romney from himself, with a lengthy and eloquent discussion of the Bible, its allegories and its central messages. "The Bible is a revelation of an infinite God," he says. "And no finite person is ever going to fully understand it. If they do, their God is too small."
84 minutes. It's apparent that Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo is also standing at the far end of the stage. Sometimes he speaks.
87 minutes. Romney and McCain get into a fight over waterboarding, which most experts consider torture under the Geneva Conventions. Romney says he wants to treat detainees like the United States treated Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an architect of the Sept. 11 attacks, who is widely believed to have been tortured by the CIA. But Romney says, "I oppose torture." Then he refuses to say whether waterboarding is actually torture. McCain, who was tortured during the Vietnam War, is beside himself. "How in the world anybody could think that that kind of thing could be inflicted by Americans on people who are held in our custody is absolutely beyond me," he says. This may partly explain why McCain offered no handshake.
106 minutes. Retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr gets in front of his webcam to describe his 43 years of service to the nation. Then he drops this bomb: "I'm an openly gay man." He asks the candidates why they think American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays or lesbians. Hunter says proximity to gays and lesbians does a "disservice" to conservatives in the military. Huckabee says the rule banning gays and lesbians from service is about "conduct" and not "feelings," which is OK. Romney gets tripped up again, since he once said he wanted gays to serve openly in the military, but now he does not. The Coop asks him three times if he has changed his position. Romney won't answer the question. The audience starts to boo, but it is probably booing the Coop.
112 minutes. After more than five minutes of gay talk, CNN cuts to another audience shot of Chuck Norris, restoring a straight vibe to the proceedings.
120 minutes. The candidates are asked about their thoughts on the Confederate Flag. Again, Romney seems flustered. "Right now, with the kinds of issues we got in this country, I'm not going to get involved with a flag like that," he says. "That's not a flag that I recognize so that I would hold up in my room." Romney has a room?
128 minutes. In the grand tradition of other debates, the last question is totally superfluous: How could Yankee fan Giuliani have rooted for the Red Sox in the World Series? The former mayor explains that he is an American League guy. "When I was mayor of New York City, the Yankees won four World Championships," Giuliani says. "Since I've left being mayor of New York City, the Yankees have won none." Presumably, this means that if Giuliani is in the White House, the Red Sox are finished.
130 minutes. The Coop calls it quits. "Thank you very much," he says, ending the debate. Then he turns to the camera. "The smoke is clearing and they ought to be hosing down the stage right now," he says. Translation: You did good.
About the writer
Michael Scherer is Salon's Washington correspondent. Read his other articles here.
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