[itsahoot]

Intellectual honesty compels us to concede that the questions asked of Donald Trump and the other Republicans were perfectly in order given the context of the times.

Intellectualism may compel the argument, but honesty has nothing to do with it.

[nathanbedford]

If the questions were so intellectually dishonest, why were Trump's answers so inept? Is it not intellectually honest to make these observations:

If Trump turned his answer to Megan Kelly from a triumph when he damned political correctness to a major gaffe when he belittled her individually, the fault is not Megan Kelly's but Trump's. If Trump brags about giving money to Democrats and getting favors in return and that does not wear well with the Republican electorate, that is not the moderators' fault, that is Trump's fault. If Trump brags about Hillary Clinton coming to his wedding because he paid her off, it is not the moderators' fault if he sinks in the polls as a result. If Trump cannot come up with evidence of Mexican government culpability but dissembles and rants, it is not the fault of the moderators if the audience catches on.