To print this page, select "Print" from the File menu of your browser salon.com > News Nov. 22, 1999 URL: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/11/22/debate Where was George? Days after his foreign policy lecture at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, GOP front-runner George W. Bush misses debate class at Arizona State University. - - - - - - - - - - - - By Anthony York In what was undoubtedly the biggest event on the Arizona State University campus all year, the Arizona Cardinals came from behind to defeat their division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, at Sun Devil Stadium Sunday to keep their slim NFC East playoff hopes alive. In what may have been the second biggest event of the day, the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination met at ASU's Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium for the third GOP presidential debate of the year. Like the Cardinals-Cowboys game, the event was without its star attraction. Both starting quarterbacks -- the Cardinals' Jake Plummer and the Cowboys' Troy Aikman -- were not on the field Sunday. Also noticeably absent Sunday night was GOP marquee attraction George W. Bush, apparently still recovering from a rough weekend in California, sketching out his foreign policy at the Reagan Library and heavy-duty fund-raising. "Where's Bush?" screamed a member of the audience, as the crowd erupted in applause. Former Reagan policy advisor Gary Bauer was also absent, though not as many people seemed to notice. Hometown favorite John McCain, who has represented Arizona in Congress since 1982, finds himself in a predicament similar to that of his hometown football team. Both need to have a month of great performances to make sure they're still in the hunt come January. While McCain has enjoyed a recent surge in polls in New Hampshire and even Iowa, where he's not even competing, the next six weeks are pivotal to the McCain campaign. Asked to articulate what winning the Arizona primary means to the campaign, the senator's communications director Dan Schnur joked, "It means we won New Hampshire and South Carolina." Indeed, the primary comes at a pivotal juncture in the schedule, nestled between South Carolina, a state with a large veterans population where McCain has campaigned aggressively -- and the March 7 sweepstakes, a day in which voters in New York, California, Pennsylvania and other key states will flock to the polls en masse. Arizona is one of only three states where McCain has campaign offices up and running -- South Carolina and New Hampshire are the others. Schnur said offices are on the way in Michigan and Washington, and a California campaign manager has just been hired. Arizona will also be key for Forbes, who beat Sen. Bob Dole here in 1996. "After 1996, I truly view Arizona as my second home," Forbes told the crowd, pockmarked with orange-shirted Forbes supporters. But the home field advantage Sunday belonged to McCain, who routinely received the most vigorous applause from the audience, and had the most T-shirt advertising among the 2,000-plus people in attendance. Like the previous two debates, there were no knock-out punches, and candidates often struggled to differentiate themselves from their opponents. Though it didn't say so on the program, there was obviously a strict dress code enforced at this debate. All four of the candidates wore dark suits, white shirts and red ties. Alan Keyes was animated, and easily the most natural public speaker in the group. McCain was unpolished, except when he was talking about veterans rights or campaign finance reform. Forbes looked typically awkward, and alluded to his numerous policy plans like the physics teacher who keeps telling you that all the answers to your questions are in the textbook, while Sen. Orrin Hatch came off as spit-shined and professional, taking up the mantle Lamar Alexander left when he pulled out of the race after the Iowa Straw Poll. Despite the uniformity of dress, the four distinguished themselves in the ways you'd expect. Keyes, always animated, wove something about individual liberty and responsibility into every one of his answers, whether the topic was Social Security, foreign policy, or who he would appoint to the Supreme Court. Hatch beat up on the Clinton administration every chance he got, while Forbes took routine swipes both at Bush and Clinton. McCain, meanwhile repeatedly hit upon veterans issues and campaign finance reform, promising to free the government from "the soft-money shake-down." The sound-bite of the evening came when moderator Robert Novak invited the candidates to open season on George W. Bush. He asked the candidates, "If there were a fifth podium and George W. Bush were standing behind it, what would you want to ask George W. Bush?" Laughter brewed as McCain was asked to answer first. "We've missed ya," he joked, before calling on Bush to "join me in bringing government back to the people," through the elimination of soft money. Hatch decided against Bush bashing, choosing instead to tear into McCain over his recent campaign finance reform bill. "Gimme a break. If McCain-Feingold passed, we would not have a Republican Party two years later," he said, as McCain snickered in the background. Forbes seemed to relish the opportunity to tear into Bush, offering a sweeping attack on the Texas governor's stance on education, health care, Social Security, taxes and foreign policy. "When you put questions to George W. Bush, you rarely get an answer," Forbes said behind his crooked Church Lady smile. "Or you get something that obviously comes off a Teleprompter or that his tutors have cued him on." Keyes initially took a pass, saying the issue was about talking to the American people, but took a swipe at Bush just moments later. "It seems to me that we have an excellent secretary of the treasury [Forbes], an excellent attorney general [Hatch] and an excellent secretary of defense [McCain]. George Bush is not here, but since he'll say whatever words you put in his mouth, he'd probably make a great press secretary," he joked to thunderous laughter and applause. The debate touched on six or seven issues from Social Security to health care to gun control. Hatch bragged that he had been named man of the year not once, but twice, by the National Rifle Association. McCain called for instant background checks to "close the pawn shop loophole," and safety locks on guns, while both Forbes and Keyes said the key was more vigorous enforcement of existing laws. But Sunday night's event had the feel of a pre-season game, a tune-up for the next time the Republican candidates get together on Dec. 2 in New Hampshire, when the Texas governor will finally share a stage with the men who appeared here tonight -- all of whom are playing catch-up to the illustrious no-show. salon.com | Nov. 22, 1999