At first glance, they did look cramped.

 
So much for the last hurrah before the New Hampshire primary. FOX News, the purveyors of ‘fair and balanced’ coverage thought it would be a good idea to give Republican voters just one more glimpse of the Republican Party’s presidential candidates, so it sent out invitations to its ‘mobile studio,’ which supposedly only seats a limited number of mouths behind its interview table.

 
Sure enough, there was Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and John McCain seated elbow-to-elbow behind the table -- but aren’t there still seven candidates left in the race?

 
It’s a sad commentary when who is NOT at the debate overshadows the discussion. In this case, FOX made news for not inviting Ron Paul. ABC News had included Paul at its debate the night before, and caused a stir for excluding Duncan Hunter – but Hunter’s polling numbers were barely registering, so not many cried foul.

 
Not so for Paul. Paul’s campaign has generated much enthusiasm since the beginning, with a multitude of news sources musing over his ‘revolution’ and reporting on his somewhat eccentric but extremely loyal band of supporters, which range from libertarian computer geeks who’ve never voted before to a legal brothel owner out in Nevada.

 
But FOX provided no chair for Paul. And it’s not like Paul’s poll numbers didn’t merit a seat at the table – and when you add in the nearly $20 million he raised in the fourth quarter last year, it’s a travesty that he wasn’t there.

 
Couldn’t they have just squeezed him in on one side?

 
Or maybe Paul’s wasn’t the image FOX wanted to portray – because in the end, the theme of this debate was ‘This is the modern GOP.’ Ron Paul’s originalist constitutional positions and humble foreign policy views wouldn’t fit in today’s FOX/Republican Party, so they made sure there wasn’t anywhere for him to sit.

 
The five ‘remaining’ competitors made it very clear that the modern GOP is a lot like the modern Democratic Party, in that government will play a very large role in ‘fixing’ the real or perceived problems in the United States. It’s more than a little ironic that New Hampshire’s ‘Live Free or Die’ state motto was given so little deference.

 
For a collection of men trying so hard to be like Ronald Reagan, they certainly left out the Gipper’s small government/more freedom message.

 
Still more ironically, the only one who consistently mentions ‘freedom’ is Mike Huckabee, whose wishy-washy Arkansas record included everything but. Maybe Huckabee’s advisors got the message, or maybe he’s had an epiphany, but Huckabee is hitting the economics theme hard these days – and it’s not just over the FAIR tax.

 
Whether you believe him is another story. Huckabee’s got a credibility gap because you’re never really sure where he stands.

 
That’s also the case for Mitt Romney, who was trying very hard to repair the damage he'd suffered during the ABC debate, when nearly all the competitors took turns ripping his numerous campaign flip-flops and his fondness for negative advertising. On the whole, Romney did much better in the FOX forum, which seemed to suit him better.

 
The candidates, minus Paul, informally sat around the table with coffee cups in hand, discussing their views on questions posed by FOX’s Chris Wallace, and occasionally turned towards each other to have some person-to-person dialogue.

 
It almost makes you wonder why these ‘informal’ formats weren’t used earlier on in the campaign season, and we’re not even talking about something like the CNN/YouTube debates.

 
After all this time, the candidates’ positions on most of the hot-button issues are well known. It would be difficult to point to one thing that was new in this debate, but here’s a brief paraphrasing summary:

 
John McCain: ‘I was the first one to call for a surge in Iraq. The American people don’t trust us anymore, so we must secure the border first, then we can talk about amnesty (he didn’t actually use the word, but we all know that’s what he means). I’ll keep you safe. A Senator with no executive experience can be president because it’s leadership that we really need. Mitt Romney’s ads are the reason why he lost in Iowa. I’ve been vigorous on the campaign trail, so it doesn’t matter that I will be the oldest first-term president in history. I didn’t vote for the Bush tax cuts because we need to reduce spending. I’ve never signed up for a single earmark in all my years in the Senate. I’ll veto all earmarks. I’ve cut spending many times – just ask Boeing.’

 
Fred Thompson: ‘I have the only plan to deal with Social Security and Medicare, but it doesn’t necessarily mean people will get fewer benefits. I will fight the Democrats when they invariably block my plan, pandering to their senior citizen interest group. I like certain elements of Mike Huckabee’s ‘FAIR tax,’ but I favor a flat tax – and I’m the only one with a specific plan to reform the tax code. Change is a part of every election – what’s more important is leadership and telling the American people the truth (translation: Mitt Romney’s a liar). We have different kinds of enemies these days, so we need someone who understands the world we live in. (To Romney) “Wasn’t Ted Kennedy at your bill signing for your health plan?” (Romney smiled and nodded yes). I’ve been talking about illegal immigration long before any of these other guys. (Speaking of Mexico’s president) “What does it say about the leadership of a country when the exportation of its own citizens is an economic necessity?” I’m the only one who’s never lost an election. The voters of Tennessee loved me and voted for me even when Bill Clinton won the state twice. The president has to be a strong leader.’

 
Rudy Giuliani: ‘The ethics questions surrounding me were reported long ago and corrected on page 37 of the New York Times. I cut taxes x number of times as Mayor and people’s tax burden went down 17% during my tenure. I didn’t run a sanctuary city – I just gave kids an education, people emergency healthcare and didn’t turn in people who reported crimes. I have the best plan to combat illegal immigration – more border patrol, a technological fence and a tamper-proof ID card. I’m a supply-sider who believes you can raise more revenue by cutting taxes. George Will said I ran the most conservative government in the past fifty years. I’ve had plenty of foreign policy experience other than 9/11, and I knew about terrorism long before that day. I’ve made some mistakes, but so has every politician. I’ve worked with Dems and Independents throughout my career. The country is not moving in the wrong direction, it just needs leadership. Leadership, leadership, leadership. None of the Democrats have ever run a city, state or company.’

 
(He can’t specifically bash on Hillary anymore because Hillary’s becoming a non-issue in the GOP debates.)

 
Mike Huckabee: ‘Mitt Romney raised fees. I signed the only across the board tax cut in Arkansas history. I’m not going to apologize for governing – we needed revenue for better schools and better roads. It was the Arkansas Supreme Court’s fault for the tax increases. I decided to run a positive campaign, so I’m not going to retaliate for Romney’s misleading ads. I’ve been all over the world (40+ countries), including Israel nine times… I’ve been to Guantanamo. I don’t care what the world thinks, I care what Americans think. I’ve got more executive experience than anyone running in this party. I’m ready to be Commander in Chief. Romney misrepresented my record. Abraham Lincoln said ‘God must like common men because he’s made so many of them.’ People like practical solutions. People want less government interference in their lives.’

 
Mitt Romney: ‘They’re not negative ads when they point out verified facts.  I got in this race because my family told me that I should. I’ve been a successful CEO and I know how to cut waste. Cutting taxes makes the economy stronger. I’m not apologizing for admitting I was wrong on issues, so it’s not a flip-flop. All politicians flip-flop. I was a governor of a Democratic state, and I cut spending where I could and fought hard to reduce taxes. My healthcare plan got everyone insured, and wasn’t more expensive than what we were already paying – but it’s not necessarily the plan to fit a national scale. I saved the Salt Lake City Olympics, so I know how to reduce the size of government. McCain voted against the Bush tax cuts, and I’m not satisfied with his explanation. I’m the only one who can bring real change to Washington, because I’m not from there. John McCain has spent decades in Washington, so it’s not likely that he can bring a fresh perspective. Washington is fundamentally broken. You’re not going to help the wage earner by attacking the wage payer – that’s where the Democrats go wrong. I’m in favor of reducing corporate taxes to create jobs. We need a president who knows the economy, like me.’

 
What Romney didn’t say: ‘If I lose in New Hampshire, I’m most likely finished.’

 
After awhile, they all start sounding alike – they all have the best plan for taxes, illegal immigration, foreign policy, entitlement reform. They all know people. They all know foreign leaders. They’ve all got the best philosophy for Iraq, and they’ll bring the world together to combat terrorism.

 
In other words, the differences are nuanced, especially for someone like Fred Thompson. Thompson may have some great ideas, but you’re not sure they’re any different than the others, so it all comes down to a personality battle – which helps explain why Huckabee won in Iowa and McCain will most likely win in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire citizens apparently like ‘straight talk,’ even if a lot of it isn’t really conservative.

 
Conservatives’ frustration will continue until the message and governing philosophy returns to a solid set of conservative principles that rejects government as a solution to all the problems (real and perceived) on every level. It’s a pretty simple message, yet it’s something you don’t hear much about.

 
To his credit, Ron Paul puts forth such a message, but FOX wouldn’t let him speak.