Romney Unscathed in Iowa Debate

First 2012 debate for Romney, Bachmann, Gingrich

(NEWSER) - Seven top Republican presidential hopefuls will gather this month for the first New Hampshire 2012 debate. Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum will meet at Saint Anselm College for the face-off, hosted by CNN ’s John King. It's the first debate of the election for Bachmann, Gingrich, and Romney, and it will be held June 13, some eight months before the state’s primary. More»

Texas governor makes his presidential debate debut

(NEWSER) - Rick Perry made his debate debut tonight, and it's clear the new frontrunner is happy to mix it up. He and Mitt Romney went after each other with gusto, notes AP , as evidenced by an early exchange: After Perry criticized Romney's record of creating jobs in Massachusetts, Romney zinged back by saying that Perry taking credit for job growth in Texas is like Al Gore taking credit for the Internet. “Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt,” Perry said. “As a matter of fact,” Romney retorted, “George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, Governor.” Later, Perry called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," while Romney said, “Our nominee has got to be someone who isn’t committed to abolishing Social Security," notes Politico . More»

Ames debate much feistier than last go-round

(AP) - Eight GOP hopefuls castigated President Obama and each other tonight in a frequently testy debate in Ames, Iowa. Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann were especially hostile to each other early, while Mitt Romney largely avoided any one-on-one battles and focused on the president. Overshadowing the debate: News that Rick Perry, who wasn't a participant, would announce his candidacy this weekend. Some highlights:

• Romney said, "I'm not going to eat Barack Obama's dog food," when asked whether he would have vetoed the debt ceiling legislation. "What he served up is not what I would have as president of the United States."

Perry doesn't stumble, pokes fun at his previous gaffe

(AP) - Unsparing in their criticism of President Obama, Republican presidential hopefuls also disagreed among themselves tonight on Afghanistan, waterboarding, and Iran. Some debate highlights:

• Mitt Romney: "If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon. And if you elect Mitt Romney, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon."
• Perry pokes fun: The infamous gaffe came up. Asked about the department of energy, he quipped, "Glad you remembered it," to laughter. When the questioner said he'd had time to think about it, Perry said, "Me, too."

He fumbles badly; Cain allegations get barely a mention

(NEWSER) - The GOP candidates debated again tonight, with a wonky focus almost exclusively on the economy, reports AP . Despite all the policy talk, though, it's a safe bet that a big story line will be a doozy of a blooper by Rick Perry: He promised to abolish three federal agencies— commerce, education, and ... he couldn't remember the third. "Oops," he said after some awkward fumbling. (Before answering his next question, he said it was energy, but he was already being savaged in the Twittersphere. See the video from Mediaite at left.) As for the Herman Cain allegations, they did come up after about 20 minutes—with the question greeted by audience boos, notes the New York Times .

• Cain: "The American people deserve better than someone being tried in the court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations," he said to applause. "I value my character and my integrity more than anything else."
• Mitt Romney: "Herman Cain is the person to respond to these accusations," he said when asked about it next. "He just did. The people in this room and around the country can make their own determination."