Forensic Accounting: The Bottom Line on the Last of the Primary Debates

The last Republican and Democrat presidential candidates left standing met for the final debates of the primary season in CA. The GOP debate, held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley, was notable for the palpable loathing the two frontrunners have for each other. The Dem debate, held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles in front of an audience that included Hollywood celebs like Pierce Brosnan, was notable for the pretense that the two rivals do not loathe each other.

Their surroundings notwithstanding, Sen. John McCain (AZ) and Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney (MA) repeatedly violated Reagan's "11th Commandment" (Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.) in bitter exchanges like these:

† On who is the "true conservative" in the race:

Romney: I'm sure, on many issues, he does, and he's a good Republican. I wouldn't question those credentials at all, but there are a number of pieces of legislation where his views are out of the mainstream, at least in my view, of conservative Republican thought. ... And I guess I'd also note that if you get endorsed by The New York Times, you're probably not a conservative.

McCain: Let me note that I was endorsed by your two hometown newspapers, who know you best. Including the very conservative Boston Herald ... I'll guarantee you The Arizona Republic will endorsing me, my friend.

† On whether Romney supports a timetable for phased withdrawal from Iraq:

Romney: I have never ever supported a specific timetable for exit from Iraq, and it's offensive to me that someone would suggest that I have. ... And by the way, raising it a few days before the Florida primary, when there was very little time for me to correct the record ... sort of falls in the kind of dirty tricks that I think Ronald Reagan would have found to be reprehensible.