Trump's Proposed Ban on Muslim Travel Ignites Republican Debate

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslims traveling to the U.S. prompted impassioned denunciations from some members of his own party Tuesday as he and 12 of his rivals for the party's nomination met in Nevada in two separate debates.

Both Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and former New York Governor George Pataki questioned Trump's fitness for the nation's highest office in an early forum for lower-polling candidates. Trump was appearing later on a second, larger prime- time debate. Pataki called Trump "the know-nothing candidate of the 21st century," referring a 19th century movement that targeted Catholic immigrants. 

"Declaring war on the religion only helps ISIL," said Graham of the Islamic State. "It's the worst possible thing you can do in this war," he added, saying Trump's proposed travel ban "has made us less safe." The South Carolinian, who retired this year from the Air Force reserve, made a point of thanking the 3,500 Muslims whom he said serve in the U.S. armed forces. "Thank you for your service," he said. 

Even the undercard debate, which had no one giving Trump's proposal a blanket endorsement, starkly highlighted the two Republican camps on the question of how to respond to Islamic- inspired terrorism. The concerns of Pataki and Graham raised some protests from two other candidates on stage wth them. Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania accused Trump's critics of overly punctilious political correctness. "Not all Muslims are jihadists but all jihadists are Muslims," Santorum said.  Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee gave voice to the one sentiments that united all of the Republican candidates: "We've lost confidence in our government," he said. 

The fifth and final Republican debate of 2015 marks the first time the candidates have met since two deadly terrorist attacks— in Paris on Nov. 13 and in in San Bernardino, California on Dec. 2 —shook Western societies and reshaped the domestic political agenda.  Sponsored by CNN and Facebook, the debate is playing out on a $40 million Las Vegas stage provided by Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Venetian casino hosting the event. 

Trump called for a ban on Muslim travel to the U.S. five days after the California killing spree, perpetrated by a married couple who were inspired by the Islamic State, investigators have found. All the other Republican candidates, with the exception of Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, have criticized his proposal.

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton jump-started the debate with a national security address of her own. Speaking at the University of Minnesota several hours before her would-be Republican rivals took the stage, she took direct aim at one of Cruz's more colorful recent statements about how he'd handle Islamic terrorism.

"Promising to carpet bomb until the desert glows doesn't make you sound strong," said Clinton, who served as President Barack Obama's first secretary of state. "It makes you sound like you are in over your head."

Other potential topics of debate: the deal to reduce carbon emissions that global leaders reached last week in Paris, as well as the Federal Reserve's widely expected decision Wednesday to raise interest rates for the first time in nines years. 

Scheduled to be on stage for the prime-time debate: Trump, a billionaire real estate mogul and former reality TV star; Cruz; Senator Marco Rubio of Florida: retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; former Florida Governor Jeb Bush; former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina; Ohio Governor John Kasich; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Despite being roundly condemned by most of his Republican rivals as well as President Barack Obama, Trump's proposal appears to have been a political winner: In last week, Trump has enjoyed a surge in national polls. The latest show him running 20 percentage points ahead of his next nearest rival, Cruz.

Cruz, however, is leading Trump in Iowa, where the Feb. 1 caucuses will launch the nominating contests, according to the latest Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll. The poll showed that Trump's Muslim plan is winning the approval of nearly two-thirds of likely Republican caucus-goers in the state.

Some Republican establishment figures are tentatively considering the possibility of Trump as the party's nominee.

"Those of us who are angry about a lost seven years, we find we like what Donald Trump says in many cases about what’s wrong," Representative Darrell Issa, who supports Rubio, said on Bloomberg Politics' With All Due Respect. The California lawmaker questioned whether Trump can beat Democratic front- runner Hillary Clinton. "If he's the nominee, I hope to move his policies to where he can beat Hillary Clinton," he said.

With less than two months remaining before the Iowa caucuses and the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary, middle-of-the- pack candidates hoping for a late surge in the polls have little choice but to come out swinging on Tuesday. 

In the wake of the two attacks, Rubio has pushed his plan for more military spending and highlighted his differences with Cruz on some intelligence issues. During a Monday rally in Las Vegas, Rubio suggested that the U.S. government should be inspecting social media accounts before allowing immigrants into the country, saying that's where many pledge allegiance to terrorist groups like the Islamic State.

"The threat we face is significant, it's different than any other threat we've ever faced," Rubio told a crowd of about 200 in a Renaissance Las Vegas meeting room.

Cruz earlier this year supported legislation that put more restrictions on the National Security Agency's warrant-less collection of Americans' phone records, a vote that has drawn criticism from both Rubio and another Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Cruz's climb to the top of the field in Iowa comes as he's battled Rubio over immigration and national security. Trump, who has also taken notice of Cruz's rise, called Cruz a "maniac" in an interview with Fox News Sundaywhere he also described the senator as having no Washington accomplishments.