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Bradley in DC
06-03-2007, 10:09 AM
Perhaps we should send a polite email thanking the writer for his kind words about Dr. Paul? (not gushing, but nice all the same--maybe win some goodwill with a NH reporter!?)

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070603/NEWS01/206030372

What to expect when the candidates square off

By KEVIN LANDRIGAN, Telegraph Staff
klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com
Published: Sunday, Jun. 3, 2007
MANCHESTER – What do you get when you mix four hours of prime-time television coverage spread over two nights, a few hundred New Hampshire voters, and 17 men and one woman who want to be the next president?

Well, it’s a good thing “American Idol’’ just ended, because CNN and WMUR-TV wouldn’t want to compare their Nielsen ratings against that hit reality-TV series.

But the earliest broadcast debates in recent New Hampshire primary history start today with at least some voter anticipation. WMUR, CNN and the New Hampshire Union Leader are sponsoring and producing these debates, with eight Democratic hopefuls going at it today and 10 GOP candidates taking their turn on Tuesday. Both debates begin at 7 p.m . . .

Charles Arlinghaus, a former Republican Party executive director and head of a conservative think tank, is less bullish about debate fever and admits as a diehard Red Sox fan, he’ll be surfing to the ballgame.

“Do you stay for all two hours of this if you aren’t intensely involved in a campaign or vested with a candidate? Naw,’’ Arlinghaus said.

All signs point to the war in Iraq dominating the early going in both debates.

“Iraq has to be front and center,’’ said Dante Scala, political science professor at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics. “It was in the 2006 elections when the tsunami hit, and the Democrats were in charge everywhere you looked. That sentiment has not gone away; if anything, it has intensified.” . . .

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and WMUR anchor Jennifer Vaughn will manage the audience portion, which will take place during the second half of each debate.

WMUR political reporter Scott Spradling and Union Leader Statehouse Bureau Chief Tom Fahey will question the candidates during the first hour, with Blitzer managing that dialogue. . .

Scala said with the first primary contest seven months away, the goal for leading hopefuls from both political parties isn’t victory, but survival.

“You really want to make sure there isn’t a mistake people remember,” Scala said. “The aim is not so much to overwhelm, but to just meet expectations and appear solid.”

He added the bar is set higher for McCain, the 2000 New Hampshire presidential primary winner whose sequel campaign has been beset with financial and organizational troubles.

“What does the second act of John McCain look like?” Scala said. “We still don’t know, and this debate may begin to tell us.”

Another complication for the GOP field is the inevitable entry of former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, also known as one of the stars of TV’s “Law and Order.”

Jeff Woodburn, a former Democratic Party chairman and congressional chief of staff, said Thompson’s surging popularity as a Republican candidate threatens the entrenched favorites.

“Fred Thompson is a fresh face, and that’s a great place to be,’’ Woodburn said.

Ideologically, he threatens Romney, who has tried to lay claim to the mantle of new conservative, and he takes away some of the star quality Giuliani has enjoyed.

“Giuliani remains a fascinating mystery right now,’’ Woodburn said. “Can he take a punch? Is he for real? Is he good from afar or far from good? The jury is still out.’’ . . .

“You want to come out of this as the one the media people are talking about who was not in the discussion before the debate,’’ Arlinghaus said.

Media accounts from earlier debates in other states gave solid reviews to Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, while Republicans Mike Huckabee, Ron Tancredo and Ron Paul seemed to impress, too, if instant Internet poll results are to be believed.

Democrat Woodburn says that despite McCain’s storied history here, Romney is the candidate to beat, at least in New Hampshire. . .

Kevin Landrigan can be reached at 224-8804 or klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com.