Fireworks in Florida at GOP debate

The battle between the Republican presidential candidates over who is the real conservative in the race spilled onto the debate stage Sunday night, as the field, minus recent drop-out Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.), met in Orlando, Fla.

{mosads}With the Iowa GOP set to hold its caucuses in about two-and-a-half months, the candidates were more willing to be critical of each other and attacked each others’ weaknesses with conservative voters.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called the event a “demolition derby” as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came under heavy fire for their past and current positions on social issues.

Fox News Channel anchor Chris Wallace promoted the brawl throughout the first part of the evening, using former Sen. Fred Thompson’s (Tenn.) criticisms of Giuliani and Romney to spark the skirmishes.

“Fred has his problems too,” Giuliani said. The former mayor, having been hit by Thompson about his support for gay rights, abortion rights and gun control, said Thompson was “the single biggest obstacle to tort reform.”

“That is not a conservative position,” Giuliani said.

Thompson said Giuliani “sides with Hillary Clinton” on many social issues. After Giuliani and Romney responded to Thompson’s criticisms, the former senator was asked if he had been satisfied by their answers.

“Well, we’ve got an hour-and-a-half, maybe they can work on it,” Thompson said. Behind the scenes, as usual, the battle was twice as bloody with the fast and furious volleys of critical press releases coming from both Thompson and Giuliani’s campaigns.

Romney, who came under fire early and often for “running to the left of Ted Kennedy” during his failed Senate run in 1994, for the most part tried to stay above the fray.

But Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), whose campaign appears to be enjoying a resurgence, called out Romney for what he said were the former governor’s attempts to distort McCain’s record while on the stump.

“Gov. Romney, you’ve been spending the last year trying to fool people about your record,” McCain said. “Don’t try to fool them about mine. I am a true conservative. I don’t think you can fool the American people.”

Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.) also got in on the game, criticizing the mandates in the Massachusetts healthcare program that Romney helped to get passed and implemented as governor.

The crowd in Orlando was apparently hungry for some red meat, and while most of the candidates tried to satisfy those appetites, Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) was booed at least three times for voicing his anti-Iraq War beliefs.

But no one endured more criticism Sunday night than a candidate that was not even on the stage. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was bashed repeatedly, and at one point, an entire segment of the debate was devoted to polls that show each of the leading Republicans losing to the New York senator.

Giuliani took Clinton’s own words when she said recently that she has “a million ideas, but America can't afford them all.”

“No kidding, Hillary,” Giuliani said. “America can’t afford you.”