The eighth Republican primary debate was a telling night at a crucial time in the presidential race as the best choices for the Republican nominee are coming out of the woodwork.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all took the stage ready to battle at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire approaching the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from Saturday night’s debate.

Christie lays into Rubio early on

Christie came out swinging against Rubio. The Florida senator, who left the Iowa caucus in third place, had a head full of steam charging into Saturday night. However, he wasn’t prepared for the onslaught that Christie launched on him over his voting record and typical Washington rhetoric.

Christie said, “You have not been involved in a consequential decision where you had to be held accountable.”

He criticized Rubio, as a senator, for not understanding how to manage schools during a tropical storm. When Rubio attempted to respond, he repeated his statement on why he would be a better choice than President Barack Obama. It was clear that Rubio was trying to avoid the question.

Carson falls flat on health care

After getting a boost early in the night for politely suggesting Cruz lied to the public about him suspending his campaign, Carson’s run didn’t last long.

For a retired neurosurgeon, Carson didn’t make a strong enough statement on health insurance. Carson wanted to jump first into what his foreign policy with North Korea would be before answering the health care issue. And when it was time to talk about repealing Obamacare, Carson rambled into a long spiel without being able to finish his thought.

In an abrupt statement to end a confusing point, Carson said, “I can go ahead and explain it, but I don’t have the time… But go to my website bencarson.com, read about it.”

The Carson campaign will most likely sputter to a slow and quiet death in the coming weeks. He wasn’t able to shine when the time came for him to do so. Part of it, unfortunately, is due to his calm temperament. Carson’s lack of aggressiveness leaves him out of some of the most important topics – a problem that has stayed with him since the first debate.

The Republicans are best for defeating the Islamic State group

The Republican Party’s two main strengths are taking on illegal immigration and foreign policy. Between Trump, Cruz and Rubio, they all best the Democrats on combating terrorism, considering tactics like bombing oil fields, overwhelming ground force and enhanced interrogation methods are all on the table.

When asked about defeating the Islamic State group, Trump said, “Well, four years ago, I said, ‘Bomb the oil and take the oil.’ And if we did that, they wouldn’t have the wealth they have right now.”

Conclusion

Trump probably did enough to keep his lead in New Hampshire. Nonetheless, Cruz and Christie pulled off great showings that could see their poll numbers shoot up. For the momentum that Rubio had, all of the air seemed to be sucked out of the balloon.

Meanwhile, the rest of the candidates seemed to slip through the cracks unnoticed.

Overall, this primary debate was the nail in the coffin for those who are basing their vote on foreign policy. The Democrats are simply not going to get the job done when it comes to defending the United States from those who want to tarnish its democracy.

Kyle O’Connor is a sophomore sport management major and political science minor. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at kdoconno@syr.edu.

Published on February 6, 2016 at 11:18 pm