DEARBORN, United States (AFP) — Ex-senator and TV star Fred Thompson held his own among US Republican presidential hopefuls in his first debate, vowing to battle "Islamic fascism" as he and the other candidates sought to charm the party's dubious hardliners.
With most eyes on the "Law & Order" star's performance as a potential US president, Thompson muscled through his debut debate with White House rivals Tuesday, avoiding gaffes, offering new details on his political views and declaring the race "boring" without him.
Despite mocking reviews since he entered the fray last month, Thompson grew in confidence in the televised clash, dodging snares laid by debate moderators and top rivals, New York's ex-mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, as he called for a robust foreign policy and backed the Iraq troop surge policy.
"It is a global war -- Islamic fascism has declared it upon us," said Thompson, who played a gritty prosecutor in internationally syndicated crime drama "Law & Order."
"They play by no rules and they are intent on bringing down Western civilization and the United States of America," he said.
Romney, who runs well in early voting states, and Giuliani, the national front-runner, carried on their increasingly intense private battle for the party's conservative base, sparring over who had a more solid record cutting taxes and limiting public spending while in office.
"I controlled taxes. I brought taxes down by 17 percent. Under him, taxes went up 11 percent per capita," Giuliani said of Romney in the debate broadcast by business channel CNBC.
"It's baloney. Mayor, you've got to check your facts," Romney riposted. "No taxes -- I did not increase taxes in Massachusetts. I lowered taxes."
The candidates also sparred over immigration, foreigners buying up US companies, and free trade, with China singled out by several as the key problem in the chasmic US trade deficit.
"They are cheating on trade right now," said California representative Duncan Hunter, who is running far behind the leaders in polls.
"They have devalued their currency which puts them in a favored position as far as our manufacturers are concerned," Thompson chimed in.
Representative Tom Tancredo labelled China "a potential enemy," but Giuliani warned that America could not turn its back on free trade just because some commerce pacts were imperfect.
Thompson, who has faced criticism that he is not up to speed on current events, displayed his grasp of details by explaining the possible benefits of Dubai's stock exchange buying 20 percent of the US NASDAQ market.
He also dodged a sucker punch question, confidently answering "Harper" when asked to name the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper.
When the debate turned to national security, candidates leaped at the chance to bash arch-enemy Iran. Romney branded Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a "rogue and a buffoon" and criticized his trip to the United Nations General Assembly last month.
Asked whether a US president should request authorization from Congress before launching a military strike at any future Iran nuclear weapons plant, he replied: "You sit down with your attorneys and they tell you what you have to do," adding the president always had to act in the best interest of the United States.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee said he would attack Iran in a "heartbeat" if it was an immediate threat, but longshot candidate Ron Paul said the notion that Iran endangered the US mainland was "preposterous".
Senator John McCain pledged to consult Congress before mounting a hypothetical strike on Iran, which he said "is, maybe, closer to reality than we are discussing tonight."
But Thompson's debut was the focus of the evening, after hovering for weeks on the edge of the Republican field.
Trying to exploit dismay at the presidential field among social and religious conservatives, he has piled up a competitive 9.3 million dollars in fundraising in three months, and shows well in national polls and in key early voting states Iowa and South Carolina.
In the latest Iowa poll by the Des Moines Register, Thompson has 18 percent support, behind Romney at 29 percent but four points ahead of Giuliani.
Nationally, in a RealClearPolitics.com average of recent polls, Thompson gets 20 percent, behind Giuliani's 28 percent, but well ahead of the rest of the pack.
In New Hampshire, which looks set to stage a major Republican showdown with its primary in early January, Thompson trails Romney, Giuliani and Senator John McCain.
Romney showed the candidates' frustration with Thompson's late entry with a swipe at the actor.
"This is a lot like 'Law & Order': it has a huge cast, the series seems to go on forever ... and Fred Thompson shows up at the end."
Thompson hit back, "I've enjoyed watching these fellows, (but) I've got to admit, it was getting a little boring without me."
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