Key contenders missing from GOP debate

GREENVILLE, S.C., May 5 (UPI) -- The first debate among Republicans hoping to nab the presidential nomination, in Greenville, S.C., will be noted for who didn't show up as much as for who did.

Nearly all of the contenders pundits consider top-tier, save former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, were absent. Former Govs. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia were not in the house Thursday.

The debate -- sponsored by Fox News Channel and the South Carolina and televised live on FNC -- GOP, attracted former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, ex-Godfather's Pizza Chief Executive Herman Cain, and two libertarians, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.

Santorum said to the extent President Barack Obama has done anything right on foreign policy, it has been in cases in which he has continued policies of former President George W. Bush. Paul said now that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has been killed, "this would be a wonderful time to reassess" policy and end the war in Afghanistan. His comment drew the first applause of the evening from the audience.

Cain said it was not clear what the U.S. mission, interest or roadmap to victory is in Afghanistan.

When asked if they would release photographic evidence of the death of Osama bin Laden, all but Cain indicated they would.

Paul drew more applause when he called for shutting down secret detention centers that have featured prominently in the U.S. effort against terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Asked whether they would authorize waterboarding of detainees, Santorum, Pawlenty said they would, while Paul and Johnson said they would not. The question led to disagreement among the hopefuls on whether torture produces useful intelligence, with Paul insisting it does not.

The lack of a crowded stage indicates uncertainty within the Republican Party about who its presidential standard-bearer will be in 2012, The Washington Post said. Some of the party's strongest possible contenders are hanging back not only from debating but also from kicking their campaigns into gear.

Even though the Iowa party caucus is about nine months away, every Gallup poll since 1952 indicates the GOP race nearly always had a clear front-runner with a double-digit lead at this point, the Post said. Right now, Washington Post-ABC News polling indicates 16 percent of the party faithful and leaners would pick Romney.

Some contenders say the process begins too early and lasts too long. Huckabee -- who says he won't decide until the summer -- recently told the Post the numerous debates when he ran in 2008 were "the same old stuff every time," driven mostly by the day's media narrative.

Many within the GOP establishment have expressed doubts about current front-runner Romney's political abilities, given his rocky performance in the 2008 campaign, and are keeping an eye out for someone else, the Post said. Insurgency also is an issue -- Tea Party movement forces could give a temporary bump to hopefuls who stir the pot but likely would be unsuccessful on Election Day 2012.

Finally, the Post said, fallout from the midterm elections puts House Republicans -- not candidates vying for the presidential nod -- front and center.

House Speaker John Boehner has "sucked all the oxygen out until now. It has been 'The John Boehner Show' -- as it should have been," said political consultant Scott Reed, who was assisting Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour prepare for a run until Barbour decided against it.