Down And Dirty In Dixie

"Let me finish, please."

That was the most frequently heard phrase at Tuesday night's Republican debate in Columbia, South Carolina. With the stakes high for both Texas Governor George W. Bush and Arizona Senator John McCain, testiness and impatience occasionally got the better of both of them, and of Alan Keyes, the articulate also-ran.

Both Bush and McCain knew that a debate that descended into bickering would alienate voters. But each also knew this was his last, best chance to make a point about how he had suffered at the hands of the other. So they teetered between good manners and tough politics.

McCain mentioned the veteran who endorsed Bush and accused McCain of neglecting veterans. "I don't know if you can understand this, George, but that really hurts." And that's not all. "You should be ashamed," he said to Bush.

Bush said, as he has before, that the man didn't speak for him. And when McCain discussed his decision to end negative advertising, Bush pulled out a flyer, and said, "You didn't pull this ad ... This is an attack piece." McCain answered, "That is not by my campaign." Bush drew laughs when he shot back, "Well, it says 'Paid for by John McCain.'"

McCain insisted it wasn't his flyer. And he was ready, later, with a flyer of his own. When Bush said he'd allow abortions for women who were victims of rape or incest, or whose lives were in danger, McCain drew forth a mailing which, he said, quoted Bush as supporting the Republican party's pro-life plank. McCain said that plank "has no exceptions ... you are contradictory." Bush insisted the plank's just fine, and he's as pro-life as the next guy.

McCain's Ancestors Owned Slaves Arizona Sen. John McCain is learning a lot about his family history during this presidential campaign.

Unless of course the next guy is Alan Keyes. Keyes, the true outsider, tried to position himself as the heart and soul of the Republican Party, and took both rivals to task on occasion. But he barely distracted them from their main target - each other.

McCain again painted himself as a Washington outsider and reformer, but turned around and touted his legislative record as "one of the most successful." He brought forth the haunting specter of the last two presidential races, suggesting "unless we open up this party, unless we do what I did in New Hampshire" and bring around the old Reagan Democrats, the GOP will spend another four years on the outside looking in.

Bush insisted several times that he's a leader, a "results-oriented person." He frequently touted his experience as governor. "Who is it that can stand up in the halls of Congress and say 'Follow me'? Who has had the experience necessary to earn the will of the people? ... Of the three of us here, I've had the experience and results that prove I can do so."

Bush and McCain both worked hard to maintain civility and coolness, and given how often they agreed on the issues, this was possible much of the time. They avoided serious fireworks over campaign finance reform and what to do with the budget surplus. They agreed on eliminating racial profiling, on scaling back foreign policy deployments, on the need for caution in handling Russia and on the need to work out a prescription drug plan for seniors.

They both strove to seem presidential as they explained their views or belittled someone else's. But oddly, Bush seemed most wound-up not while arguing directly with McCain, but when he launched into set speeches about his qualifications. That's when he fell into his terrier mode, characterized by an anxious insistence that you listen to him. At those moments, he sounded hungrier than the other two candidates.

McCain was cooler and quieter. He avoided losing his temper or speaking harshly, which was essential if he was to give meaning to his pledge to avoid negative campaigning. This week, he found his way back to his old message, which is built around a quiet contempt for Bush, not a loud one - as when he called his tax plan the "grown-up" one.

Early on in the debate, Keyes waved off Bush an McCain's tactics and strategies. "I haven't given their campaign a thought," he asserted, but he was probably the only one in the room who could say so.