Trump vs Cruz

I have two takeaways from last night's debate clash between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. The two big highlights of the debate were the clashes between the two on Cruz's negative comments about New York values and the birther issue that Trump is using against Cruz. (Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and Cuban father.)

Trump had a great comeback on the New York issue by pointing to how New Yorkers acted and came together on 9-11. He definitely came away the winner on that one. Even Cruz applauded it. I think Sean Hannity today had a great take on how Cruz should have worded his talking points. Trump emphasized the character of New Yorkers. Cruz should have pointed out that in talking about New York values, he was referring to the liberal, Democratic control of the Big Apple. He could have listed Michael Bloomberg, Bill DeBlasio and yes, Hillary Clinton.

As for the birther issue, it was Cruz who prevailed. And when Trump cited Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Tribe as an authority on the subject, he screwed up.

Lawrence Tribe is a far-left-wing professor who will always come down on the liberal side. (Cruz was a student of his at Harvard.) Furthermore, any time Trump tries to debate an issue of law with Cruz he will lose. Cruz is a Constitutional expert who has argued numerous times before the Supreme Court. Contrary to what the Democrats try to portray him as, Cruz is a very intelligent man.

Ted Cruz is an American citizen, period. A personal note: In 1978, when I was stationed in Bangkok with DEA, I was working at the American Embassy, and my wife and I carried diplomatic passports. When our daughter was born there, we had her Thai birth certificate translated into English, took it to the American Consulate, and they gave her a passport (diplomatic, in fact). Two months after she was born, we brought her to the US. (She was never entitled to Thai citizenship. They had just recently changed the law due to the influx of Vietnamese refugees.)

Let the Democrats engage in the Cruz birther debate. Republicans should move on to other issues.