Debate '08: The Challenge to Avoid Saying Something Stupid

Well, they may have tried to avoid saying something stupid, but apparently the Republican presidential candidates didn't try all that hard last night. Indeed, the only candidate who made any sense promptly had the proverbial smark laid down on him by Giuliani. Meanwhile, the other candidates said things that were, you know, completely and utterly insane with little or no rebuke. Duncan Hunter, who used to run the Armed Services committee, said, on national TV, that the Koran orders Muslims to kill Americans. Leaving aside the number of things that are factually wrong with that statement (like the fact that it's somewhat implausible that a 7th century religious text would mentioned a country founded in the late 18th century), it was a fairly transparently bigoted, Islamophobic, and racist statement by a very prominent Republican. And it provoked no criticism from the other candidates. Nor did anyone object when Mitt Romney claimed that Sunnis and Shi'a are secretly conspiring to form a worldwide caliphate. I mean, dear God. For one thing, the Governor evidently hasn't been following a little thing called Iraq since, you know, ever. For another thing, the entire reason there are Sunnis and Shi'a is that after Muhammed died Muslims disagreed on who the Caliph should be, Shi'a choosing Muhammed's son-in-law, Ali, and Sunnis choosing Abu Bakr, an ally of Muhammed's. It seems curious that these two sects would suddenly join forces over the exact issue that drove them apart in the first place. But maybe Mitt Romney is just a genius. Wait, no - he wants to "double" Guantanamo. What does that even mean? As Brad Plumer asked, does he want to invade Cuba? Guanatamo's kind of small for a reason, you know. Wow. At least this guy has no shot. Oh, wait, he's leading in Iowa as well as New Hampshire. Awesome.