Video: Full video of CNN Western Republican Debate

Seven GOP candidates traded barbs last night at the CNN Western Republican Debate from Las Vegas, Nevada. The debate was part of the Western Republican Leadership Conference. Herman Cain and Mitt Romney took the brunt of the attacks which made for a very lively discussion.

Original Air Time: Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 on CNN

Participants: Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Paul, Perry, Romney, Santorum

Here is the entire video in 4 parts via YouTube.

Report from CNN:

Las Vegas (CNN) — Tuesday night was fight night in Las Vegas.

Seven Republican presidential candidates clashed sharply over issues such as illegal immigration, taxes and health care at a presidential debate in Nevada sponsored by CNN and the Western Republican Leadership Conference.

But it was the three Republican frontrunners — former Godfather’s Pizza executive Herman Cain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov Rick Perry — who came under frequent attack.

The long-standing bad blood between Romney and Perry boiled over in the debate’s first hour as the two GOP heavyweights traded harsh accusations and showed flashes of anger.

Romney laughed in Perry’s face when the Texan criticized his rival for hiring illegal immigrants to work on his lawn, a controversy uncovered by The Boston Globe during Romney’s first presidential bid in 2008.

“Mitt, you lose all of your standing, from my perspective, because you hired illegals in your home and you knew about it for a year,” Perry said, turning straight to Romney. “And the idea that you stand here before us and talk about that you’re strong on immigration is on its face the height of hypocrisy.”

It seems to me at least that Rick Perry carried the illegal immigrant issue a little too far with Romney and I don’t think that did anything but reflect badly on Perry.