month ago. the paris attacks, the shooting in san bernardino. so i think that chris christie has a moment tonight, but i think ted cruz more than anyone, he had a smile on his face when he walked into the debate hall, oh, an hour or so ago. was more than happy to talk. he said, look, i know all the arrows are pointed at me but i think that's a good thing. that's a sign that i'm doing well. so this is the moment ted cruz has been waiting for. he's a great debater. he was a debater in college, of course, but he's going to need those skills tonight because everyone is going to be going after him, not just donald trump. >> jeff, the unofficial welcoming party in the garage of the venetian hotel. we'll check back in with you, jeff, as we see more candidates arrive. thank you so much. you know, when the republican candidates gather here tonight it will be their first debate since the terror attacks both in paris and in san bernardino, which is certainly not insignificant. national security will be front and center as these candidates take the main stage and our wolf blitzer will be asking pretty