Rising two target of debate rancor

Rubio, Cruz forced to fend off N.H. rivals

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie points past Ben Carson at GOP presidential rival Marco Rubio during Saturday night’s debate, accusing him of “truancy” for missing key Senate votes.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie points past Ben Carson at GOP presidential rival Marco Rubio during Saturday night’s debate, accusing him of “truancy” for missing key Senate votes.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, first-term senators on the rise in the presidential race, faced a barrage of attacks in Saturday night's Republican debate, with rivals challenging Cruz's campaign tactics and Rubio's readiness to be president.

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The eighth presidential debate, moderated by ABC News, took place in New Hampshire, which will host the nation's first primary on Tuesday.

To make the stage, candidates had to place in the top six in national and New Hampshire polls or finish in the top three in Iowa. Carly Fiorina, a former technology executive, appealed unsuccessfully to be included. Two other Republicans, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, suspended their campaigns after low finishes in Iowa.

Although Rubio finished third in the Iowa caucuses, he exceeded expectations and appeared to be gaining steam heading into the first primary. His rise is seen as a threat not only to Donald Trump and Cruz, who have led in the polls, but also to a trio of current and former governors -- Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich -- who are depending upon a strong showing in New Hampshire to take on the three who led in the caucuses.

Christie of New Jersey took aim first at Rubio, declaring that the senator from Florida has "not been involved in a consequential decision where you need to be held accountable." He added that Rubio has showed "truancy" in missing critical Senate votes.

Rubio shot back that Christie himself oversaw a state economy that was downgraded by debt-rating agencies nine times and didn't respond quickly enough to a major snowstorm in his state.

"Your state got hit by a massive snowstorm. You didn't even go back. They had to shame you into going back," Rubio said.

Bush of Florida in turn said Rubio was a gifted politician but warned voters against again putting the White House in the hands of a first-term senator.

"We've tried it the old way, with [President] Barack Obama and soaring rhetoric," said Bush, who was a political mentor to Rubio in Florida.

Rubio said he was proud of his service in the Senate and suggested Obama's problems were less about experience and more about ideology. He also defended his decision to walk away from the sweeping immigration bill he originally backed in the Senate -- legislation he's often associated with -- and said he wouldn't pursue similar legislation as president.

"We can't get that legislation passed," Rubio said of the bill that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal aliens.

Cruz won in Iowa, triumphing over billionaire Trump. But he's faced criticism for messages his campaign sent to voters just ahead of the caucuses saying rival Ben Carson was dropping out and urging the retired neurosurgeon's supporters to back Cruz instead.

Cruz apologized for his campaign's actions Saturday, but not before Carson jabbed him for having "Washington ethics."

Those ethics, he said, "say if it's legal, you do what you do to win."

North Korea strategies

The candidates delved into foreign policy soon after news broke that North Korea had fired a rocket -- a covert test of technology for a missile that could strike the U.S. mainland.

The key to dealing with North Korea, Trump said, is enlisting the help of China. Trump said China should be responsible for addressing problems with North Korea because "they can do it quickly and surgically."

Trump said he believes China has "tremendous control" over North Korea based on conversations he's had with bankers and others he's dealt with.

Rubio also said he believes the United States could leverage its relationship with China to keep North Korea in check.

Cruz avoided saying just how he might respond as president to such an event, deflecting questions over whether he'd shoot down any such missile or launch a pre-emptive strike on North Korea's nuclear infrastructure.

He said he could not "speculate" since he has not seen "the intelligence briefings" that Obama gets. ABC moderator Martha Raddatz noted that Cruz has talked in detail about how he would approach Middle East tensions despite not having access to the same intelligence available to the president.

Cruz used the question to criticize the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran.

Christie sought to be tougher than his GOP rivals when it comes to dealing with North Korea and handling a crisis involving hostages or the rogue nation's nuclear proliferation activities.

Bush said the U.S. should reinstate "crippling sanctions" and establish those sanctions "right now." Bush said he would authorize a pre-emptive strike against such rockets if it was necessary to keep America safe.

But Christie said the U.S. has to boost its profile on the global stage, falling short of saying he supports military action against North Korea.

On conflict in the Middle East, Cruz stood by his call for "carpet bombing" areas controlled by the Islamic State militant group.

Cruz said that could be accomplished without inappropriate levels of civilian casualties. He maintains that Obama's administration has unnecessarily strict "rules of engagement" because of concerns over civilian deaths.

The senator said his previous endorsement of "carpet bombing" does not mean "indiscriminate" bombing. He said he would order "targeted" bombings of oil fields, infrastructure, communications outposts and key locations in Raqqa, Syria, the declared capital of the Islamic State.

Trump, meanwhile, said the way to beat the Islamic State militants is through their pocketbook: by taking their oil and cutting off their access to money through the banking system. He said, "You have to knock the hell out of the oil. You have to take the oil."

health law bashed

Trump, Cruz and Carson all agreed on at least one thing: They detest the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

But the three took different approaches in explaining just what they want in its place.

Trump promised "to replace Obamacare with something so much better." He said that would include establishing health care savings accounts for individuals and allowing insurance companies to sell policies across state lines.

Trump implicitly accused his rivals of not backing some kind of safety-net care for the poorest Americans.

Cruz did not get into the details of a replacement at all, using the discussion to blast "socialized medicine."

Carson said he wants to give Americans subsidies for medical savings accounts using money now spent on existing health care.

Trump and Bush got into a terse back-and-forth exchange over their positions on eminent domain, the process by which the government takes private property for public use.

When Bush tried to interject, Trump drew boos when he dismissed him, saying, "Let me talk, quiet." Trump quipped the catcalls were coming from "donors and special interests," the only people who could get tickets to the high-profile debate.

Trump defended the use of eminent domain, saying it's "absolutely necessary" to build roads, schools, bridges and hospitals.

But Bush forcefully challenged Trump, asking why he tried to use eminent domain to purchase the home of an elderly woman who lived near one of his Atlantic City casinos. Bush said, "That isn't public purpose. That was downright wrong."

When the conversation shifted to immigration, Ohio Gov. Kasich, who has staked his White House hopes on New Hampshire, offered a more moderate view, though one that's unpopular with many GOP primary voters. He said that if elected president, he would introduce legislation that would provide a pathway to legalization, though not citizenship, within his first 100 days in office.

An attempt to pass a comprehensive bill in 2013 did not make it through Congress.

Rubio defended his role in an immigration overhaul as a member of the Gang of Eight in the Senate, the bipartisan group that wrote the bill, saying the American people cannot trust Congress until the border is secured and that those here illegally would not be put on a pathway to citizenship.

Christie struck back at Rubio's answer, saying "it's abundantly clear that he didn't fight for the legislation."

The 2013 Gang of Eight bill passed the Senate, but did not pass the House.

Kasich's immigration stance is at odds with several of his rivals, including Cruz, on the issue of deportation.

Cruz said it's possible to deport people. The only thing missing, he said, is "political will."

Information for this article was contributed by Julie Pace, Julie Bykowicz and staff members of The Associated Press and by Mark Niquette of Bloomberg News.

A Section on 02/07/2016

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