FF Livechats the National Security Debate

Post debate notes:

-There were no questions about the European debt crisis.

-Newt Gingrich will face accusations of supporting amnesty. He said that it would not be possible to expel all illegals and was supportive of a long-term guest worker program.

-Ron Paul was unsurprisingly isolationist, but Jon Huntsman also made a clear argument to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a debate that should be given more time.

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Tonight’s GOP debate will be broadcasted by CNN at 8pm and the topic is foreign policy and national security. Since this debate is being co-hosted by AEI and the Heritage Foundation, some of the questions that get asked tonight will come from the security experts from both institutions.

(You can watch a behind-the-scenes video of debate preparations here.)

The important thing to watch for is what candidates will say about the cuts to the defense budget which are going to come because of the failure of the supercommittee to reach an agreement.

Ron Paul can be expected to welcome the cuts, the other candidates on stage might end up making strong commitments to preserve defense spending at current levels.

Also, while the debate seems to be focused on the “defense” angle, it will be critical to learn what more of the candidates think about the continuing debt crisis in the European Union.