SMRs and AMRs

Friday, August 12, 2011

8 From G.O.P. Trade Attacks at Iowa Debate

By JEFF ZELENY and ASHLEY PARKER
NYT

AMES, Iowa — A withering critique of President Obama’s handling of the economy was overshadowed by a burst of incivility among the Republican presidential candidates who gathered here for a debate on Thursday night and fought to stay alive in the party’s increasingly fractious nominating race.

The simmering animosity that has been building among some contenders broke into full view during the two-hour debate, with Representative Michele Bachmann defending her legislative accomplishments, her economic ideas and her experience to serve as president. She batted away the criticism, smiling at times and swinging at others, trying to prove she could take the heat.

While the first votes of the Republican nominating contest are six months away, a sense of urgency already hangs over the campaign. Several candidates face a far earlier test and are struggling to avoid being embarrassed at the Iowa straw poll on Saturday — the same day Gov. Rick Perry of Texas intends to declare his candidacy and join the Republican race.

Tim Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor who is seeking to rejuvenate his campaign, repeatedly assailed Mrs. Bachmann’s record. He stood directly at her side and accused her of “making false statements” and having “a record of misstatements.”

(More here.)

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