Obama target in first GOP debate

Former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney,who first sought the nomination in 2008,was the nominal front-runner as the curtain rose on the debate. Recent polls show Romney to be the Republican in the best position to defeat Obama in November 2012. Romney had a surprisingly easy two hours Monday night. He looked calm and steady,criticising Obama on the economy and healthcare.

Before the debate,there were signs that Romney might be pressed harder on his record,especially the Massachusetts health care law that requires people to obtain health insurance. On Sunday,former Minnesota Gov Tim Pawlenty had derided the state law as “Obamneycare,’’ because it served as a model for Obama’s 2010 health care overhaul that many conservatives detest.

Pawlenty seemed loath to revisit the issue Monday. If any candidate had nearly as good an evening as Romney,it was Rep Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. She made maximum use of CNN’s live telecast to announce she was formally entering the race.

The seven Republican candidates found little if anything to like in what the president has done since taking office in the midst of the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. “When 14 million Americans are out of work we need a new president to end the Obama Depression,’’ said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Former Pennsylvania Sen Rick Santorum accused Obama of pursuing “oppressive policies’’. Businessman Herman Cain called for eliminating the capital gains tax as a way to stimulate job creation. Romney and US Rep Ron Paul of Texas both said US should withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile,former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman said separately Tuesday that he will announce his bid for Republican nomination on June 21.