The final debate in Iowa among the Republican presidential candidates is history. The candidates were a bit testy toward the moderator of The Des Moines Register debate.
“I’d like to see a show of hands,” the moderator said to the candidates. “I’m not doing handshows today,” Fred Thompson replied. “I’m with him,” Ron Paul added and the others on stage agreed.
The candidate’s non-hand-raising responses to the questions posed by Carolyn Washburn, the Register’s managing editor, mostly veered by gentle jousting rather than pointed barbs.
Mitt Romney sounded a bit like a general election candidate with this answer to a question about taxes. “I don’t stay awake at night worrying about the taxes that rich people are paying, to tell you the truth,” Romney said. “I’m concerned about the taxes that middle class families are paying.”
Fred Thompson repeatedly offered himself as a truth-teller — and he got in this barb at Romney over the tax issue. “My goal is to get into Mitt Romney’s situation where I don’t have to worry about taxes any more,” Thompson quipped in reference to Romney’s personal weath.
Romney replied he was, “trying to get into” Thompson’s situation as an actor. Thompson replied: “Well, you’re getting to be a pretty good actor.” There was laugher and moaning from the crowd.
Romney replied: “Takes one to know one.”