GOP Hopefuls Take Center Stage

Ten White House wannabes will clash tonight in the first Republican presidential debate of a campaign season that is already in full swing 18 months before the election.

If the front runners — Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney — manage to damage each other in verbal combat the beneficiary may well be the elephant who isn't in the room: former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.

Thompson is thought to be edging closer to getting into the race, and has racked up decent poll numbers even though he is not — as yet — a candidate. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is another no-show who may jump into the race.

The 90-minute showdown at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library will begin at 8 p.m. EDT. Nancy Reagan is expected to attend.

The candidates must wrestle with a host of problems, including how strongly to endorse the policies of President Bush. Mr. Bush has fared poorly in public opinion polls, but he remains popular with the conservative voters who will dominate the GOP primaries.

Giuliani and Romney are expected to continue their strong support for the president and his policies, but McCain may well live up to his maverick reputation with criticism of the White House.

"John is going to express his views as he see them: In some cases he and the president have shared the same position, but in some cases they don't," McCain adviser John Weaver told The New York Times.

Some GOP analysts expect the frontrunners to proceed with caution.

"This is batting practice," said Rich Galen, a GOP strategist who offered the trio a bit of advice: "Don't get hurt."

Giuliani, McCain and Romney all kept their public campaign schedules relatively light over the past few days, opting to spend as much time as possible huddling with aides to rehearse their responses to expected questions on top issues such as Iraq, immigration, taxes, abortion, gay marriage and terrorism.

Lesser-known candidates like Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas and former Govs. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin and Jim Gilmore of Virginia were simply looking for respect, hoping to be seen as serious contenders in the jam-packed field.

Reps. Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Duncan Hunter of California were sure to use the gathering as a platform to plug their signature issues: immigration and national security, respectively. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas also was to be on stage for the debate, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EDT at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library north of Los Angeles.

The Reagan library was a fitting setting. Most, if not all, of the Republican candidates have embraced Reagan's legacy and called for their party to return to the small-government, low-tax, strong-military ideals he espoused. California also is fertile ground in the GOP primary fight now that the state has decided to hold its primary on Feb. 5, far earlier than in elections past.

With 10 candidates answering a wide range of questions in such a limited amount of time, Republican operatives say Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, McCain, a four-term Arizona senator, and Romney, an ex-Massachusetts governor, probably won't have much of a chance to make significant impressions that could help them break out of the leaders' pack and shake up the race.

"It's going to be very short," Romney told Jay Leno on Wednesday on "The Tonight Show." "Get on, get off, keep your hair from getting messed up."

"It's mostly a matter of sticking to the talking points that you've been saying," Galen said. "The good news for any of the top three is not to make any news."

Nevertheless, the seven second- and third-tier GOP hopefuls could prove dangerous to the trio, providing numerous opportunities for missteps.

Asked how a candidate gets ready to face nine opponents, McCain told reporters last week aboard his campaign bus in New Hampshire: "You just prepare your own answers. You probably know most of the questions."

"I'm not sure how you manage 10 people. It's awfully hard logistically," added McCain, who lost the nomination to George W. Bush in 2000. "It's not like it was with me and Bush."

Other candidates are looking to earn a seat at the head table.

"The key thing is just to be able to show there's a capacity to stand with those others and there's a misconception about what a front-runner looks like," said Huckabee, who trails several rivals in fundraising, polls and organization. In an interview, the ex-governor said he also is focused on avoiding mistakes — "like falling off the podium or looking at my watch."

As the 10 prepare to take the stage, questions abound: