Former Mayor of New York city Rudy Giuliani waves as he arrives at the Koger Center to perform checks where the Republican Debate will be held in Columbia, South Carolina May 15, 2007.

Flap will write comments about the canddiates as the debate happens live.

The candidates take the stage.

The War in Iraq is the first topic and first question to McCain. McCain looks wooden and uneasy.

Next, Tommy Thompson. Malaki Iraq government must stand up.

Mitt Romney – any circumstance to pull out from Iraq? Answer rambles about Islamic radicals and talking points.

Brownback – his stand favoring Iraq Study Group and reaching consensus.

Format is much easier to follow………

Rudy – Congressional GOP must find success by September. Timetable for defeat? Corrects quote and says he was referring to Democrats. Agrees with McCain and calls him correct. Fort Dix example. Facing an enemy who wants to kill us and the worst thing to do is to show them weakness.

Tom Tancredo – supports troops as his role as Congressman

Ron Paul – in the wrong party?

Duncan Hunter – Chairman of Armed Services Committee, served in Vietanm, calls on other canddiates to lay out their credentials to be commander in chief.

Huckabee – need to listen to Generals

Gilmore – switch to question about Iran

Would you launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran to prevent them to achieve a nuclear weapon? Dialoge with American people when in fact we need to strike.

Second round of questions – domestic issues and economy

Mitt Romney – Flip Flop Mitt – Now take no tax pledge whereas before he would not. Says Washington is broken.

McCain – President Bush tax cuts. Opposed tax cuts. Spending is out of control. Did not lose 2006 on Iraq but on spending. Drunken sailor analogy.

Huckabee – alternative minimum tax. Eliminate tax? We have spent more money than John Edwards at a beauty shop. Much applause and laughter.

Rudy – killing line item veto. NYC spending rose. Spending actually decreased. Lowered taxes 23 times. PLedge to not fill 50% of retiring government employees. Also supports Regan-like across the board budget cuts – 5-25%. Quoted Club for Growth.

Chris Wallace opened up Rudy McRomney and questions Gilmore on why he thinks that some of the other candidates are not conservatives.

A round of questions on abortion and stem cell research

Fourth Round of questions on illegal immigration