director david calian and cnn political commentator and columnist s.e. cupp. before the humans on the stage, nine of them in the prime time debate, talk about the setting here. the geopolitical setting. i think the most important thing that's happened is paris. is san bernardino. as a backdrop, that i think will drive this debate. >> without a doubt. think back, john. the debates that were driving the republican nomination process before the terrorist attack, the immigration debates, economic debates, still there, obviously, as the campaign goes forward but the political landscape shifted when the attacks in paris and san bernardino came to the forefront and it is now a moment of a commander in chief test. this is now an opportunity for these nine people and four people in the first debate to present their case to republican primary voters about why they are the standard -- they should be the standard bearer for the