Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich too Afraid to Debate

After months of stumping and bringing their names back into the political discourse, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump et al, have opted out of competing in the first GOP debate tonight. The Obama administration has gained a tremendous boost from the alleged capture/assassination of Osama bin Laden, intimidating the candidates said to be his best opposition. The only top-tier candidate not afraid to still show up is Ron Paul.

The 'godfather' of the Tea Party movement, Paul will be the lightening rod of the debate. There will be a few others participating, mainly those counting on this debate to gain some name recognition, but the only one who comes into this with any political clout is Paul. None of the other candidates in the debate are currently in office, though there are two former governors and a former Senator.

On May 3, 2007, the so-called top tier Huckabee, Romney, McCain (and Ron Paul) were more than happy to face-off in an early debate. Why not this year? Why is Ron Paul the only one brave enough in 2011? The difference is that this year, they all face an incumbent who's popularity has very recently shot up. If the other top-tier candidates can't take the heat in an early debate, why should we expect them to be able to handle the office of President of the United States for 4 years?