Romney Shrugs Off Attacks

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»

But immigration comments could end up hurting Newt Gingrich

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich got more airtime than usual in last night's national security-focused Republican debate, and most pundits agree that his performance was good enough to win over plenty of undecided voters.

• "Gingrich showed that he has been thinking about these issues for decades," writes Corbett B. Daly at CBS News . Jon Huntsman showed his competence, and Mitt Romney did well despite turning in one of his weakest debate performances so far, while Herman Cain and Rick Perry floundered, he writes.
• Gingrich showed that he's a skilled debater, but "his refusal to back away from his belief that we shouldn’t throw out all 11 million people here illegally could come back to bite him in a party that is vehemently opposed to anything that looks or sounds like amnesty," notes Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post.

Republicans debate national security

(NEWSER) - The Republican candidates were back at it tonight, this time in Washington and this time with a focus on national security. (Click to read about Mitt Romney's first-name moment .) Some highlights:

• Newt Gingrich: Strongly backed the Patriot Act. "All of us will be in danger for the rest of our lives," he said, and the government needs tools to protect Americans. He also argued that the US could "break Iran within a year" in part by sabotaging its refineries, reports AP . An outright attack should be a last resort, he added.
• Immigration: Big fight coming? Gingrich favored allowing some immigrants to stay, reports the Los Angeles Times . “I don’t believe that the party that says it's the party of the family is going to say it’s going to destroy families that have been here for more than a quarter of a century,” he said. “I'm prepared to take the heat in saying: Let's be humane in enforcing the law." His view caught immediate flak from Romney and Bachmann, notes Politico .
• Ron Paul: Called the Patriot Act "unpatriotic because it undermines our liberties" and would create a police state. "You might prevent a crime. But the crime then will be against the American people." On Israel, he broke with the pack, notes the New York Times blog : "I think they are quite capable of taking care of themselves." And the drug war is "another war we ought to cancel."

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."

Herman Cain gets plenty of attention

(NEWSER) - The latest Republican debate has wrapped up, this one focused mostly on the economy and on the newest darling of the polls, Herman Cain. If Rick Perry was hoping to land a knockout punch on Mitt Romney, it never arrived. In fact, the night was "exceedingly well-mannered," notes Politico . (Click for analysis on who won and lost) . Snippets of coverage:

• "As expected, Mr. Romney has become the focus of the questions from his rivals. But so far, they have had little luck knocking the Massachusetts governor off his stride." Michael D. Shear, New York Times .
• Laugh line: "I thought it was the price of a pizza when I first heard it," said Jon Huntsman of Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan. Cain fires back: "Nine-nine-nine will pass and it is not the price of a pizza. It starts with, unlike your proposals, throwing out the current tax code."
• Cain-Romney: "Can you name all 59 points in your 160-page economic plan?" Cain asked him. "Simple answers are often very helpful, but oftentimes inadequate," Romney replied.