Last night, the CNN Republican Presidential Candidates fell into a trap set by CNN's Jake Tapper, aided by two junior questioners.
The intent, made clear in the framing of the questions, was to position the candidates to dispute each others' positions with a focus on bringing the most heat on Donald Trump.
The tag line under the streaming video on the CNN website read: "Trump gets hit from all sides"
Shamelessly, that's what CNN wanted to happen, so it did.
The consequence was much heat and little light in an event that more resembled a World Wrestling Federation stage than a debate between serious American Presidential candidates.
Viewers can pick their own winners and losers, maybe by tallying the frequency with which panting candidates cried out, "Jake, Jake, Call on me, me!"
The biggest loser was not on the stage: Reince Priebus, and the organization that he chairs – the Republican National Committee.
Because the RNC was willing to turn over the choreographing of a debate among its leading Presidential Candidates to a liberal news outlet more interested in provoking an Animal House food fight than providing knowledge of candidates to the voters, then those who leave the cafeteria most damaged are not any, or all, of the individual participants.
Nor the programmed, predictable CNN questioners.
But the ultimate sponsor of the event – The Republican National Committee.
Which makes Chairman Reince Priebusthe real Bluto in the CNN cafeteria food fight.
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