“Cross-examination is the greatest legal engine ever invented for the discovery of truth,” a great legal scholar once wrote. Fox News proved it — and generated a superior, entertaining debate — by aiming genuinely hard, personalized questions at the Republican front-runners. We know more now about which candidates are heedless of liberty and the U.S. Constitution, ill-prepared or inconsistent. Would that the press were this tough on all candidates.

I live-tweeted it last night and here are a few highlights, in earliest-to-latest chronological order:

Hmm. RT @cmoraff Carly Fiorina wants tech companies to be nicer to Feds who want to snoop around your data. http://t.co/ZLrdmQXvTu #cato2016

— Walter Olson (@walterolson) August 6, 2015

"The Fourth Amendment is what we fought the Revolution for." Rand Paul vs. Chris Christie, a compelling exchange. #cato2016 #gopdebate

— Walter Olson (@walterolson) August 7, 2015

.@RandPaul: We fought the American Revolution for the Fourth Amendment. Get a warrant. #Cato2016

— David Boaz (@David_Boaz) August 7, 2015

Trump made a good point about expensive, anticompetitive system of penning health insurance within state lines #cato2016 #gopdebate

— Walter Olson (@walterolson) August 7, 2015

"We need to repeal Dodd-Frank." @marcorubio, grabbing an effective @carlyfiorina theme, cites effect on small banks #cato2016 #gopdebate

— Walter Olson (@walterolson) August 7, 2015

Sorry, but @RandPaul gave a misleading account of the Houston pastors' subpoena. My 2 cents: http://t.co/iNR1u06Q3w #Cato2016 #GOPDebate

— Walter Olson (@walterolson) August 7, 2015

Contra @marcorubio & Huckabee, Antonin Scalia in 2008: "of course" Const does not ban abortion http://t.co/s4h8Yznr9C #cato2016 #GOPDebate

— Walter Olson (@walterolson) August 7, 2015

More 140-character commentary on the debates, including the one earlier this week, at this link. And more from Cato colleagues.

Filed under: constitutional law, Fourth Amendment, politics