Factcheck.org has the following responses from last Thursday's GOP debate in South Carolina, and they're worthy of notice:

* Romney claimed Massachusetts gained jobs "every single month" he was governor after hitting a low point. In fact the job gains seesawed, with seven of 36 months producing job losses.

* Huckabee escalated his misleading claims about cutting taxes, saying he cut taxes for the first time in the history of the state of Arkansas, which is untrue. Others put through tax cuts before he did. Overall, Huckabee raised taxes.

* Romney falsely claimed to have been endorsed by the Massachusetts Right to Life Association. Actually, he was endorsed by a single chapter of a different group.

* Thompson, accusing Huckabee of Democratic tendencies, said he’d been endorsed by the National Education Association. But he was actually endorsed only by the New Hampshire chapter of that nationwide teacher’s organization.

* Huckabee claimed that highways in Arkansas had gone from the "worst road system in the country" to the "most improved" in the ratings of a trucking magazine. He failed to mention that despite the improvement they remained fourth from the bottom on the "worst" list.

* Giuliani asserted that cutting the corporate tax rate "will get more revenues." Unlike his earlier supply-side claims, he can point this time to an economic study suggesting that he might be right, but it’s not a certainty.

So what do I think? Thompson may get a light slap on the wrist for his NEA comments, but his statements about Huckabee's economic and foreign policy liberalism should have stuck a dagger in the heart of Huckabee's argument and campaign. How much longer will GOPers look past his non-conservative record and be dazzled by his charm?

Michael Dobbs' site has a critique of the candidates' comments and claims, and it's also worth a full read.

To me, it's important that the candidates be straight about their comments on the campaign trail, and the consistently worst offenders out of the top five are Romney, Giuliani and Huckabee. This is one reason--among many others--why McCain and Thompson are in my top two. By being less than straight with the facts, the offending GOP candidates are undermining their own credibility and believability with the voting public. If a candidate is on the right side of an issue, there should no need for such embellishing.

Speaking of Romney, this quote from the candidate should make any conservative's teeth hurt:

What I'm critical of is the absence of a federal policy designed to strengthen the U.S. automotive sector and manufacturing general.

Oowww! The pain! Seriously, how can anyone claim to be a conservative AND want a federal industrial policy? It makes no sense. Back in the 1980s, the folks who proclaimed that the federal government needed an "industrial policy" were hardline Democrats who wanted our government to intervene on our industrial base, a la Japan. This is one of the most non-conservative issues a candidate can make. I swear, every time Romney tries to make his case, the less I like him.