Get serious

The GOP presidential contenders appear stuck in a carnival midway of their making | Mindy Belz

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Much in the GOP presidential debates has been warm up. But with November panels focused on foreign policy—the first coming just days after news that Iran has taken dramatic steps to produce a nuclear weapon—we can hope to see mettle emerge from this field of eight. Perhaps the thus-far lackluster candidates might be ready to leave the circus midway, where the weapons are air guns and the prizes are stuffed toys, and move to the big tent, where the lights are blinding and the animals are real.

But judging by the Nov. 12 "commander-in-chief" debate in South Carolina, the GOP candidates are playing for the cheap prizes still. None of the gaffes could match Gov. Rick Perry's 53 seconds of forgetfulness from an earlier matchup, but given the subject matter and the headlines, the mistakes and misstatements should disturb us.