Trump Accuses Bush Administration Of Lying About Iraq; Jeb Bush Defends Brother

Fireworks were flying early and often in the final CBS News GOP debate before the South Carolina primary.

GOP candidates: Don't let Obama replace Scalia

The sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday afternoon and subsequent opening on the bench started the event on a somber note, but quickly turned to the political question at hand — should President Obama be allowed to nominate a new justice in an election year?

All the candidates sided with GOP congressional leaders, who said earlier that any nomination to fill Scalia's vacancy should happen under a new president, putting them at odds with Democrats and the White House.

"I think it's up to [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell and everybody to stop him," frontrunner Donald Trump said. "It's called delay delay delay."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich decried the partisanship in the country, saying he would bring the country together as president. But he admitted that, "I believe the president should not move forward, and we should let the next president decide" on a replacement.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said a new GOP president should appoint someone who would "put people on the bench who understand that the constitution is not a living and breathing document — it is to be interpreted as it was originally meant."

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz sparred with moderator John Dickerson over whether or not a Supreme Court nominee had been confirmed in a presidential election year before. Dickerson corrected him that in 1988, Justice Anthony Kennedy had been confirmed, though he was nominated the previous year.

"Obviously the war in Iraq was a big fat mistake"

Something no one expected in a Republican primary debate — the party's frontrunner went on a scathing attack against the previous GOP incumbent over national security.

"Obviously the war in Iraq was a big fat mistake," Trump thundered. "They lied — they said there were weapons of mass destruction."

His attack on George W. Bush was met with loud boos from the crowd in Greenville, S.C. — a state where the former president still remains very popular — and provoked a strong defense of his brother from Jeb Bush.

"I'm sick and tired of Barack Obama blaming my brother for all the problems he's had," the younger Bush said. While Donald was filming a TV show, my brother was busy keeping us safe."

Trump jabbed back that Bush didn't keep the country safe — that 9/11 happened on the Republican's watch.

"On behalf of me and my family, I thank God all the time it was George W. Bush in the White House on 9/11 and not Al Gore," Rubio interjected in a rare moment of defense toward Jeb Bush. "The World Trade Center came down because Bill Clinton didn't kill Osama bin Laden when he had the chance to kill him."

Kasich wants to be the adult in the room: "This is just nuts, OK?"

The Ohio governor wanted you to know on Saturday night he's a uniter not a divider. Kasich, who surprised this week with a strong second place finish in New Hampshire, repeatedly spurned the infighting that was enveloping him on stage, exhorting his rivals to calm down and come together.

"I think we're fixing to lose the election to Hillary Clinton if we don't stop this," he said, somewhat exasperated, at one point.

When asked by Dickerson to weigh in on the Bush/Trump spat over 9/11, Kasich channeled what many people at home were probably thinking: "This is just nuts, OK?"

Kasich is trying to keep running a positive campaign — something he's credited for his Granite State win — but that's something that's becoming harder and harder to do in such a negative, bitter race.

"Look, the bottom line is the people of this and this state want to see everybody rise, and they want to see unity, and I don't want to get into all this fighting tonight because people are frankly sick of the negative campaigning," he argued.

But in a year where voters are angry and it's that frustration that is fueling the rise of an outsider like Trump, can Kasich's sunny message or unity work? It will be hard.

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