Rubio aims at Clinton after debate

Trump, Carson ‘fantasy’ policies derided

MIAMI, Oct 29, (Agencies): Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio refused to criticize his rival Jeb Bush during a flurry of television interviews Thursday following a strong performance in the third Republican debate. Rubio instead tried to focus attention on his criticisms of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In a testy exchange that was a debate highlight, Rubio seemed to neutralize Bush’s call for him to resign his Senate seat because he is missing votes to campaign. “What is it, like a French work week?” Bush volleyed.

Rubio rebuffed him, saying, “My campaign is going to be about the future of America, it’s not going to be about attacking anyone else on this stage.”

He said the same Thursday: “My campaign is not going to be about attacking someone else. I’m not running against them. I’m running for president.” Rubio told ABC’S “Good Morning America” he has admiration for Bush and wants only to discuss policy differences.

Instead, Rubio focused on Clinton in appearances on six television networks. On CBS’s “This Morning,” Rubio stuck to his claim in the debate that Clinton and other Obama administration officials lied about the 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, when she was secretary of state. The attack killed U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.

“It was clear from the very early moments of that attack that it was not a spontaneous uprising,” he said. “It was a planned attack.”

Attack “She knew that it was a terrorist attack as she shared (it) by email with various people,” said Rubio. “Yet she continued to perpetuate the lie that this was something different.”

In fact, the day after the attack, President Barack Obama called it an “act of terror.” Clinton, in her testimony last week before a House panel, said the intelligence community was receiving conflicting information in the hours after the attack and she was concerned about demonstrations in capital cities in other countries over an inflammatory video. Clinton also said the suspected Libyan militant accused in the attacks, Ahmed Abu Khattala, has cited the video as a factor.

Rubio chided the news media for “going around saying it was the greatest week in Hillary Clinton’s campaign” after her testimony last week. “It was the week she got exposed as a liar,” he said.

Republican frontrunners Donald Trump and Ben Carson were accused of peddling “fantasy” economic policies at their party’s presidential debate on Wednesday, as less-known rivals

managed to grab campaign limelight.

Upstart Senator Marco Rubio caused a stir at the third Republican primary debate, fighting off a frontal attack from his one-time ally Jeb Bush, then calling the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton a liar.

The 10 White House candidates on stage were quick with the personal barbs, sign of the rising tension between the country’s established politicians and political neophytes Trump and Carson, who top the polls less than 100 days before the first statewide nominating contests.

“Folks, we got to wake up,” said Ohio Governor John Kasich, raising an alarm at the outset.

“We cannot elect somebody that doesn’t know how to do the job. You have to pick somebody who has experience.”

The language appeared clearly aimed at Trump, a real estate billionaire, and the retired neurosurgeon Carson, who were the targets of early brickbats as candidates ripped into their policy plans.

Kasich said the tax plans of both were “fantasy tax games” that would add trillions of dollars to the national debt.

Even the debate moderator joined

in, asking Trump if he was running a “comic book version” of a campaign — notably by promising to keep out immigrants with a wall on the Mexican border.

Struggle Millions of Americans were estimated to be tuning in to the sparring at an arena at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

As traditional candidates struggle to make headway against strong populist currents in their party, Carson appears to be catching up to Trump, overtaking him in the state of Iowa and edging ahead of him in one national poll released Tuesday.

With his star rising, Carson came under pressure to expand on his political platforms.

And the hyper-competitive Trump — facing a slippage in his poll ratings — seemed determined to reaffirm his position atop the Republican pyramid.

But with all eyes on the frontrunning pair, other candidates vied for the camera.

Jeb Bush, the son and brother of two presidents and a former Florida governor, launched a bold attack on his former protege Rubio, something he has been loath to do on the campaign trail.

“This is a six-year term, you should be showing up” for Senate votes, he

told Rubio, who hails from the same state. “Is it a French work week? You get like three days where you have to show up? Just resign and let somebody else take the job.”

But Bush otherwise failed to make a strong impression in the debate — which many saw as a vital opportunity for him to reignite his flagging campaign.

“Rubio won tonight with wit, good humor, great one liners and substance,” tweeted Ari Fleischer, a White House press secretary during George W. Bush’s presidency.

Ten candidates took the stage for the main event: Trump, Carson and Bush; Senators Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul; former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina, who performed well at the previous debate; Arkansas ex-governor Mike Huckabee; Kasich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Cable network CNBC, which broadcast the primetime event, focused its debate on economic issues, including tax policy, federal spending and job growth.

But it also waded into other topics including the legalization of marijuana, and US gun laws, prompting Trump to repeat that he sometimes carries a weapon and would be comfortable with co-workers arming themselves.