Ben Carson's Big Close: I'm Only One Who Has Taken Out Half a Brain

Ben Carson was his normal soft-spoken self during most of the first Republican presidential debate, but he scored big in his closing statement.

Noting that most of the other candidates had pointed out some accomplishment he had that no rival could match, Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and first-time political candidate, said he wanted to try that as well.

"I'm the only one to separate Siamese twins, the only one to operate on babies while they're still in their mother's womb," he said. "The only one to take out half of a brain, although you would think if you go to Washington that someone had beat me to it."

As laughter from that line faded, Carson continued, "But I'm very hopeful that I'm not the only one who's willing to pick up the baton of freedom, because freedom is not free, and we must fight for it every day. Every one of us must fight for it because we're fighting for our children and the next generation."

Fox News Channel's Brit Hume ranked Carson's statement a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10.

"It was great, and it was funny, and it was telling," Hume said. "All the more impressive because this man is a total rookie."

Hume noted that Carson, the only black candidate, had earlier scored points when talking about race.

Carson told of being asked by an NPR reporter why he doesn't talk about race more often.

"I said because I'm a neurosurgeon. She thought that was a strange response. I said when I take someone to the operating room, I'm operating on the thing that makes them who they are. The skin doesn't make them who they are."

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