RICK PERRY FLUSTERED IN DEBATE

The 8 Republican presidential candidates met in yet another debate last night, in what is quickly becoming a 2 man race.

Hosted by the Tea Party Express and moderated by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, the debate was par for the course as 7 of the 8 GOP hopefuls took turns trying to bring down frontrunner Rick Perry while attempting to bolster their own standing.

Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney

Former frontrunner Mitt Romney once again found himself sparring with Perry, attempting to draw a definitive difference between them and prove he is the best bet to beat President Obama in 2012.  The 2 men took their usual “sound bite” jabs at each other, challenging each on job creation, Social Security and more. But Perry found himself up against the ropes twice during the evening  — once when he appeared to be providing soft treatment to illegal immigrants in his state, and again when he was accused of misuse of executive power by requiring girls as young as 12 to have the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.

The HPV issue was perhaps Perry’s most difficult moment, since it offended many potential supporters as an abuse of government power and an attack on individual liberty, and is an issue among Republicans that could easily undo his candidacy.  Some conservatives are beginning to fear Perry may not be the staunch opponent of government intervention he claims to be, and that he may have embraced the Tea Party out of political opportunism rather than legitimate conviction.

“This HPV controversy is tearing up the airways and the blogs,” said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist. “It has many of them thinking he’s not quite what they thought, he’s not a real Tea Partier. I think it’s an issue that’s going to return to haunt him and it may be his Achilles heel with the right.”

Although Perry remains the favorite to win the Republican nomination, Romney likely won the evening by seeming cool, calm, collected, and as more of a national candidate, whereas Perry seemed flustered and inexperienced on the national stage, and more of a “flavor of the month” type candidate who can be beat.

Ron Paul

Perhaps the high point of the evening came when Ron Paul chastised Republicans for their distrust of all Muslims, and for their fantasy belief that we were attacked on 9|11 because Muslims hate our system of freedom.  Paul attempted to explain that we were attacked because Muslim nations are tired of the U.S. invading their lands and killing innocent civilians during unnecessary wars.  But he was forced to dial back his remarks when a wave of boos quickly proved that the conservative crowd would rather hang on to their fantasy rather than hear his brand of truth.

The debate was considered a must win for Michele Bachmann, who won the Iowa straw poll only weeks ago and had been seen as a top tier candidate.  But a variety of wacky and ultra religious right comments from her and her husband, including the notion that their clinic could “pray away the gay” in homosexuals, has her now polling in the low single digits and well behind Sarah Palin, who isn’t even in the race.  The other candidates were a non-factor and their days within the race are numbered.