Candidate revolt

The presidential candidates -- both Democratic and Republican -- have taken umbrage previously to being asked to stake a position during a debate with a show of hands. At today's GOP face-off in Des Moines, Fred Thompson flat-out staged a revolt.

Asked by moderator Carolyn Washburn to demonstrate, by raising their hands, whether they believed global warming was a serious problem caused by human activity, Thompson spoke out, asking for a minute to answer the question.

Denied, he snapped: "You want a show of hands. I'm not giving it to you."

A fractured discussion followed, with Duncan Hunter making a point to stress that, in his view, human activity is partially -- not totally -- fueling global warming.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[STEWstew]

WELL? I GUESS WE SAW THE REAL FRED HUH? HE WONT DEBATE BY THE RULES OF THE FORUM SPONSOR DES MOINES REGISTER, SUPPOSE HE LEARNED THAT FROM THE CURRENT ADMINISTARTION?

[Dwane]

Sure, it's caused by all that hot air from politicians.

[Mark]

Good for Thompson. I'm not a Republican, but that question deserves a discussion, not just a kindergarten-like "show of hands".

[Tim in Omaha]

Let's all go back to pre-school and raise our hands? I don't want a yes or no answer, I want to know the man's thoughts.

Good job Mr. Thompson!

[Joe B]

I am so glad that a candidate demanded a fair chance to answer a question properly rather than provide fodder for soundbites. I hope this leads to a surge for Thompson, not that I care all that much one way or another for him, but if it leads to a surge perhaps other candidates will follow suit.

[Arth]

A President must be a leader. By doing a 'hands show' a candidate looks as though they are touting to the moderator. A leader should be able to control the flow of a debate as Thompson did in this instance. All the other candidates then followed Thompson's lead. Finally a good move by the former Tennessee senator. Doubt we will see too much more from him though. I found the video on www.polijam.com if anyone is interested in seeing it.

[Chris Hardin]

Perhaps Mr. Thompson is taking a courageous stand, or perhaps he's cowardly dodging an issue. If his refusal to answer this yes-or-no question was about refusing to oversimplify his nuanced stance on whether or not global warming is a serious issue, then one would expect to be able to go to his website and read something about this complex stance of his. However, he avoids talking about it there, too. There are a few snippets that suggest he doesn't want to do anything about global warming, but he never takes an explicit position. One can only conclude that his refusal to answer the question was a matter of convenience, not principle. Please stop celebrating his bogus bravado.

[Bill Lenner]

I notice that explained answers at this debate were mostly of the kind that present a lot of blather, hucksterism, and button pressing.

That's why a show of hands would be more honest.

[Dave Pippin]

Fred Thompson gets it. He is a true leader and not afraid to take a stand. he doesn't pander to groups like Romney and Huckabee. He isn't a Republican in name only as Rudy is. Fred is a true conservative with a vision for this country. The sooner people realize this, the better off we will be. I keep hearing that Fred got in too late. He is in! If you think he represents you, vote for him. The getting in late thing is absolutely ridiculous!

[Jim Ostrowski]

Four candidates did show their hands: Rudy, Romney, Huckabee and McCain.

See the link provided.