In Debate, Romney and Giuliani Clash on Immigration Issues

Eventually, after criticism from inside the party and out, they relented, and the debate was rescheduled for Wednesday night. The format was considerably more freewheeling and unpredictable than most previous debates and, as with the Democrats, candidates competed with the creativity of questioners from all over the country who had submitted short videos on a wide range of topics.

Almost 5,000 videos were submitted, and the debate sponsors picked 34 for candidates to respond to during the two-hour session. But moderator Anderson Cooper of CNN had plenty of leeway to probe with follow-up questions .

The debate, which was held at the Mahaffey Theater, included all eight active candidates for the Republican nomination. Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.) also participated in the event.

The Republican debate came at a moment when the nomination battle has turned sharply negative, particularly between Giuliani and Romney. Giuliani leads most national polls of Republicans, while Romney leads in the two states with the earliest contests, Iowa and New Hampshire -- although Huckabee is now in a statistical dead heat with Romney in Iowa.

When asked whether he would accept the support of the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative gay organization, Huckabee joked, "You know, in my position in this entire election, I need the support of anybody and everybody I can get."

When the topic turned to whether the next president should commit the nation to putting a person on Mars, he ended his answer by saying, "If we do, I've got a few suggestions, and maybe Hillary [Clinton] could be on the first rocket to Mars."

That quip brought a rebuke from Tancredo, who told Huckabee that his willingness to spend more on space was at the root of the problem of out-of-control spending in Washington. "We can't afford some things, and by the way, going to Mars is one of them."

Paul drew a question about whether he might take his grass-roots support and turn it into an independent campaign for the White House next year. Denying any intention to do so, Paul said he is largely a vehicle for widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo.

"This country is in a revolution," he said. "They're sick and tired of what they're getting. And I happen to be lucky enough to be part of it."