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January 08, 2012 | | 2012 Republican candidates hit the debate stage in New Hampshire last night, just a few days before the state’s primary—and though frontrunner Mitt Romney was expected to take a beating, his rivals failed to land any blows. Rick Santorum, who lost the Iowa caucuses by only eight votes, went after Romney first, dismissing him as a job-cutting venture capitalist and CEO, but the attempt fell flat. In fact, writes The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz, Santorum was the night’s biggest loser, failing to land a single memorable moment and forfeiting the chance to build on his virtual tie in Iowa. Plus, Paul Begala, Michelle Cottle, and more weigh in on the debate; also, watch video highlights. OPPOSED At the GOP primary debate Saturday night in New Hampshire, Republican presidential hopefuls took some hard-hitting questions on gay marriage and gay adoption, and presented a united front. Mitt Romney insisted he didn't oppose gay adoption, but society shouldn't encourage it. Jon Huntsman, the only outlier, endorsed civil unions. Newt Gingrich took a predictable turn into media bias against Christian beliefs, and Rick Perry got in a shot at the Obama administration's "war on religion." NUCLEAR Iran will soon start enriching uranium in a bunker deep inside a mountain, a senior Tehran official said. The country's move to continue refinement work in Fordow, a facility near the city of Qom in central Iran in the "near future" will likely provoke Western powers and complicate diplomatic efforts to resolve the charges against Iran that it is trying to make a nuclear weapon—the fact that enriching uranium in a mountain bunker will offer better protection against enemy attacks will not help the matter. BULLY PULPIT Republicans are up in arms about President Obama's decision last week to make "recess appointments" by sidestepping a sitting Senate (which was only in session for some 30 seconds, anyway) to confirm several officials—and they’ve got the support of some constitutional scholars, too. Critics say the move will signify the end of the Senate's rightful role to provide advice and consent on presidential appointments that amounts to a check on executive power, even though Senate Republicans had been using procedural rules and filibusters to block some 200 nominations. Eric Ueland, chief of staff to ex-senator Bill Frist, said Obama's move gives presidents "undiluted power," and David S. Addington, chief of staff to former vice president Dick Cheney, said Obama has violated constitutional law. TENSE Leaders of the Arab League are due to meet in Egypt to discuss what to do with Syria—this after monitors sent by the coalition failed to stop or even slow a violent crackdown in the country. The foreign ministers will discuss whether to ask the United Nations for help after their observation of a peace plan was criticized as toothless. But senior officials from the league said they’re not withdrawing the mission—there’s even talk of strengthening it, though critics question the good of that without U.N. assistance. | | 
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