GOP candidates play rough in debate

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The Republican presidential debate in Florida Wednesday night at times was more of a GOP smackdown.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani started off the political throwdown in St. Petersburg by clotheslining former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on immigration, saying he had a "holier than thou" attitude while presiding over a "sanctuary mansion" where illegal immigrants worked. Romney countered that he couldn't go around asking every employee "with a funny accent" for their papers.

In another confrontation in the debate sponsored by CNN and featuring questions posted by regular citizens via the Internet, Sen. John McCain of Arizona when on the offensive against Ron Paul when the Texas congressman said he wanted to see the United States stop meddling in other nations' business.

"That kind of isolationism, sir, is what caused World War II," McCain said.

Paul said he wasn't advocating isolationism but Americans wouldn't tolerate other countries telling them how to live and so the United States shouldn't be imposing its will on them.

Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee and Duncan Hunter also got opportunities to get jabs in on tax, foreign trade and abortion.

Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado was loving it, saying the other candidates were trying to "out-Tancredo" him.