Cuccinelli asked him about "strict constructionist" judges--what does the term mean? Perry, who has a tendency to see things in terms of good people and bad people, explained that it means a judge "who is not a legislator or a rogue and we've got about four of each of those" on the Supreme Court. This Court is out of control, he said. "The idea that they're telling us in Texas we can't have the Ten Commandments on our Capitol grounds--that's pretty offensive to me." (Perry was a party to that case; he seems to think he lost, but actually he won. When he gets back to Austin he should take a look: the monument's there.)

As for abortion, the role of the states is to discourage it "until we pass that life amendment to the U.S. Constitution." Labor law, however, should be left to the states.

Bachmann truly seemed not to have given a thought to federalism before Saturday night. Why, Pruitt asked, had she previously said that states could not constitutionally have individual mandate programs either? "It goes back to that liberty interest that each of us has and there can be reasonable difference about that." Could states--as Oklahoma and Virginia have done--pass statutes blocking the ACA? "The federal government Obamacare bill will trump the state statutes," she replied. "It is the law of the land right now."

As for immigration, she said, under Article I § 8 of the Constitution "a specific enumerated power is the government needs to deal with the border." (I'm still scratching my head about which "specific" textual power she means.) "It's not the states' role." Cuccinelli asked about S.B. 197, which would use the commerce power to override state tort laws and court procedures in medical malpractice cases. "I support tort reform absolutely." Asked which Supreme Court decision ("other than Roe v. Wade") of the past 50 years she most dislikes, she answered Kelo v. City of New London--a case that, however unpopular, left the issue of eminent domain to the states rather than federalizing it.

Ron Paul fended off Pruitt, who, as the attorney general of the state where the Oklahoma City bombing occurred, asked for an alternative to the PATRIOT Act. "There's nothing in our Constitution that says violent acts should be a prerogative of our Constitution." Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security were all unconstitutional, but should be phased out slowly. (This riled Cuccinelli: "Why would you sign a budget that contains something unconstitutional?" Paul answered, in effect, be patient, sonny.) Asked whether he opposed any amendments to the Constitution, he wisely cited the Eighteenth, already repealed.

Mitt Romney had almost nothing to say about states. "We need to have a federal government that sees its job as helping the private sector grow and thrive and add jobs"--a role sounds like "picking winners and losers" to me. He still supports part of No Child Left Behind since "the federal government has a role to stand up to the federal teachers' unions" (not clear what "federal teachers' unions" are). His judges would "protect the Constitution and follow the constitution as it was written and intended and the law of Congress as it was written and intended rather than have the Supreme Court see its role as spring from or departing from the Constitution to impose their views." No mention of pro-state views in that answer. Should we get rid of federal labor law (another Cuccinelli cause)? "I would not propose getting rid of all federal labor law but I do say we have to rein in the power of the National Labor Relations Board."