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Overall, the CNN “You Tube” Republican debate, as a debate, was a debacle. However, it may prove to be a defining moment in the Republican effort to resist what only recently seemed like an inevitable Democratic victory in 2008 in the campaign for the White House.

LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - Along with the largest audience to view any Presidential debate this year, I watched the entire “You Tube” Republican debate this past week, from start to finish and beyond. In fact, I watched all the way through, even viewing the smorgasbord of talking heads pontificating afterwards.

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From the moment this event began, I had a hunch that it would be unlike anything we have been subjected to yet in this unusual presidential campaign. As the evening unfolded, my suspicion proved to be accurate.

The way in which these men were grouped together, made to stand on the platform in some kind of cattle call and then asked to listen to an amateur songwriter croon a silly ditty was a sign of what was to come. The "song" demeaned their stature, perhaps by design, and set the stage for the debacle which followed.

First, there was the obvious slant to the choice of questions chosen by CNN. Most of the people who were selected from among the allegedly “thousands” of questioners were obviously picked in order to promote a caricature of the Republican Party.

From the gun toting kid who handled his weapon in a cavalier manner; to the guy with the confederate flag and the scary fundamentalist fellow waving the Bible, CNN seemed to have an agenda of their own. Certainly it was not objective reporting. The questions, for the most part, were contrived.

They sought to communicate the notion that the Republican party is filled with hating, gun toting, narrow minded fundamentalists.

However, what was even worse was what followed. Most of the questions were hand selected from people who had an obvious political and social agenda. It was bad enough for CNN to choose their questions intentionally. However to then fly two of those who asked questions, apparently at network expense, in order to carry on their propaganda effort at influencing public opinion from the floor of this thing calling itself a debate is, well, incredulous.

This slant has now been documented and discussed broadly in the media. From the retired General who is associated with the Clinton campaign to the others associated with the Edwards and Obama campaigns; this was not what it purported to be.

CNN should be ashamed to even pretend that that this was a truly objective news event.

However, the crowning moment of the debacle dimension of the evening came at the end when former Secretary of Education and earned PhD, Bill Bennett, pointed out to Anderson Cooper that the General with the homosexualist agenda for the military was a member of a Hilary Clinton steering committee.

Cooper acted surprised. Sorry, I find it hard to believe Anderson. If you truly were, it is even worse. How can the host of an exceedingly important event such as this be so unprepared?

That interchange revealed something else; the revolution in Media has come and gone.

CNN is yesterday’s news.

The “New Media” of the internet, the integrated media networks, the internet aggregators and the blogs is now the dominant media.The convergence of technologies has come.

Who would have thought, even a few years ago, that the traditional newscaster/host of such an important event would be exposed by his own guest? How? The guest simply looked at his laptop to find out the real truth. The guest, with the real time power of the internet became the real news reporter?

Now that is empowerment.

However, the evening was an important one in this intriguing election contest. It was not really a “debate” as much as a debacle, at least in format. But it was a defining moment for these Republican candidates.

The purported frontrunners, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliana and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came out swinging at one another over the immigration issue. Neither candidate benefited from the heated exchange.They both seemed mean and peevish.

Sadly, many of the comments which followed concerning illegal immigration missed the mark. A few were down right cold and callous. Yes, this is a serious issue. One which Americans are quite worried about. However, Americans are not mean. We recognize obligations to children, even those of illegal immigrants.

Governor Mike Huckabee, a former longshot in this now unpredictable and fluid Republican race, became the brunt of many heated exchanges volleyed at him from other candidates who recognize that he is now surging in the polls.

His line “We are a better country than that”, brought a pregnant and reflective pause to that steamy issue and showed a depth which was refreshing.

On the issue of most concern to many viewers, the right to life of ...