Republican candidates stand by negative ads, fail to knock out Romney

(AP)

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- With the pressure on just three days before the first primary contest in the nation, the Republican presidential candidates had their arsenals ready for tonight's debate--but left front runner Mitt Romney largely untouched.

Romney is polling at around 40 percent in the state, several points in front of the closest runner-up. Tonight, his competitors failed to effectively take him on in a way that could chip away at his lead in the state. If Saturday night's performance is any indicator, he will head into next week's primaries still looking strong.

The candidates have ramped up attacks on each other, both in campaign stump speeches and in ads running in early primary states over the past few weeks. On Saturday, each candidate was asked to stand by their accusations and repeat them, face-to-face.

On the trail, former Pennsylvania Sen. Santorum has said that executive experience in the private sector  is not enough to qualify a candidate for the presidency. Elaborating on that accusation, Santorum found himself at the center of attention for the first time at this debate.

"Of course I was talking about Governor Romney," Santorum said. "Well, business experience doesn't necessarily match up with being the commander-in-chief of this country."

Romney defended himself, charging that his opponent was a lifetime politician who lacked the understanding of the economy.

"I think people who spend their life in Washington don't understand what happens out in the real economy," Romney said. "They think that people who start businesses are just managers. The commander-in-chief of this country isn't a CEO."

Perhaps the most aggressive offensive of the night came from Texas Rep. Ron Paul as he aimed at former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who he recently accused of being a "chickenhawk" for not serving in the Vietnam War. Gingrich, whose step-father spent his career in the army, took personal offense to the comment.

You can watch video of the exchange below:

"Dr. Paul has a long history of saying things that are inaccurate and false," Gingrich said. "The fact is, I never asked for deferment. I was married with a child. It was never a question. My father was, in fact, serving in Vietnam in the Mekong Delta at the time he's referring to. I think I have a pretty good idea of what it's like as a family to worry about your father getting killed. And I personally resent the kind of comments and aspersions he routinely makes without accurate information and then just slurs people with."

But Paul fired back, saying he too had children during the war, "and I went."

The debate, however, took a turn when ABC News moderators George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer brought up social issues: gay marriage and federal control over contraception.

You can watch video of Romney discussing contraception below:

When the candidates were asked to defend their opposition to gay marriage, they deliberately charged that the topic had only been made an issue by what Gingrich called "bias" media.

You can watch video of Gingrich below:

The candidates are set to debate again Sunday morning at a forum hosted by NBC News. Don't be surprised to see them turn up the heat on Romney.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

• In New Hampshire, Romney follows Obama's '08 trail

• Gingrich's latest Romney slam: He taxed the blind

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Man Makes Homemade iPad to Surprise his Girlfriend, and a Teen in Trouble over Negative Tweet about Kansas Governor

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What would inspire you to make a computer from scratch? When Wei Jin-Long wanted to get an iPad for his girlfriend, but couldn't afford it, he decided to build one himself.  Jin-Long, who is a student at the Art & Design Department at Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China, said he studied Internet video programs on how to make tablet PCs and then bought a refurbished laptop computer to start with.  The old laptop came with a main board, video card, CPU and screen.  Jin-Long bought the touch screen and the battery online to complete his masterpiece for a grand total of about $125. He even hand-carved and polished all the holes to give it a more professional look.  Completing the custom tablet took him ten days to finish, but he told The China Daily News that it allows its user to "read, download, watch movies, [and] play games by just touching the screen."  After receiving her gift, Jin-Long's girlfriend Sun Shasha said, "this is the best gift I've ever had, and I will keep it forever."  He designed the tablet to resemble an iPad, with an Apple logo and all.  Shasha added rhinestone around the edges to personalize it eve more.  So what's the biggest difference between Wei's tablet and an actual iPad?  Wei's tablet runs Window's 7, not the MAC operating system.

A Kansas City teenager is receiving backlash for a comment she made against her state's governor on Twitter.  Emma Sullivan was attending a Youth in Government event with her classmates listening as Governor Sam Brownback spoke, when she tweeted, "Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot."  The 18-year-old Shawnee Mission East senior is now declining her school principal's request for her to write a formal letter of apology to Governor Brownback saying she "isn't sorry and doesn't think such a letter would be sincere."  In reality, Sullivan did not actually make the comment she tweeted, and said she was "just joking with friends."  However Governor Brownback's office, which monitors social media for any posting with the governor's name, saw Sullivan's tweet and contacted the Youth in Government program.  What followed was a verbal scolding from Sullivan's principal, Karl R. Krawitz, who instructed Sullivan to write a letter of apology and also offered talking points for how the letter should be written.  Sullivan has refused, and people on Twitter are responding.  Before the incident, Sullivan had 65 followers, currently her following has increased to more than 6,500. She said that she feels her tweet has helped to "open up dialogue" about free speech in social media. Sullivan has not heard from Governor Brownback or his staff, but says she is not opposed to conversing with the governor directly.   Sullivan has also said, "it would be interesting to have a dialogue with him. I don't know if he would do it or not though. And I don't know that he would listen to what I have to say."  Sullivan also admits that she disagrees with Brownback politically, partly because he vetoed the Kansas Arts Commission's entire budget--making Kansas the only state to eliminate its art funding.  So what does Emma's mother have to say about this Twitter controversy?  Julie Sullivan said she is not angry with her daughter, but she could have, "chosen different words."  She also notes that "[Emma] was talking to 65 friends. And also it's the speech they use today. It's more attention grabbing. I raised my kids to be independent, to be strong, to be free thinkers. If she wants to tweet her opinion about Gov. Brownback, I say for her to go for it and I stand totally behind her."  As for Emma, she's still waiting to see if there will be further action against her since she has refused to apologize.

On the other side of the world, Ampon Tangnoppakul, a 61-year-old truck driver from Thailand, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sending cell phone text messages that were deemed insulting to the country's monarchy.  The law imposes seemingly severe penalties for publicly or privately making insults or threats directed at King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 83, and his family.

UPDATE: On Monday afternoon, Governor Brownback submitted a statement to Yahoo! News apologizing to Emma Sullivan, saying, "My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize.  Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms," he said.

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