What to Look for in Tonight's Republican Debate

Columbia, SC (TLS). The campus of the University of South Carolina in the state capital of Columbia will be the setting this evening for the second debate of the Republican Presidential candidates.

As a primer for this evening's debate, here are a few things to look for:

1. Fox News will undoubtedly provide a very different format and approach from that of the first Republican debate, which was sponsored by MSNBC. While Fox has not disclosed exactly how this forum will be different, it will be interesting to see if this meeting comes closer to being a real debate than any of the previous candidates' forums this year.

2. With news veteran Britt Hume as the moderator for tonight's debate, look for more questions of substance. Chris Matthews' stint as 'moderator' of the first Republican debate was nothing less than a debacle for two reasons: Matthews is a known partisan who favors Liberal Democrats, and two, many of the questions were downright ridiculous and not even worthy of consideration. It will be hard to imagine this happening tonight with Hume in charge.

3. Ron Paul stands to make major strides in advancing his candidacy if he does well tonight. His first debate appearance set the Internet abuzz. Will he build on that momentum, or will he stall?

4. Tom Tancredo will more than likely stage a very strong appearance this evening, given that he was off his game in the first debate. Look for him to display his characteristic charisma and eloquence, particularly on the issue of border security.

5. The four candidates who helped themselves the most by their performance in the first debate--Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore, and Mitt Romney--will be under the gun to pull off the same thing this time. Look for at least one of these to stumble a bit.

6. Giuliani and McCain have a chance to step up to the plate and hit one out of the park this evening. However, anything less than a stellar performance out of each will amount to a net loss, in our opinion. Neither candidate did or said anything in the last debate to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in terms of desirability. Unless they change that perception, and change it soon, you can look for both of these top contenders to begin losing steam in the polls.

7. At this point we do not see either Kansas Senator Sam Brownback nor Tommy Thompson as viable contenders. Brownback could change that with an unusually strong showing this evening. He is a good man who certainly has a bright future worthy of greatness. The question is, is the timing right? With Thompson, his candidacy has had trouble getting off the ground, and we don't see that changing tonight unless a major miracle takes place.

As always, The Liberty Sphere will post our exclusive 'Liberty Rating' on each of the candidates following tonight's debate.