The Guardian
GOP presidential debate: Rick Perry struggles in the spotlight
Republican frontrunner Rick Perry, under fire on immigration policies, gave a hesitant performance in the latest GOP debate
By Richard Adams
Texas governor Rick Perry struggled to reply to his critics in the latest debate between Republican contenders, revealing an Achilles heel that is undermining his march towards the party's presidential nomination.
As in the two previous debates since he entered the race, Perry's hesitant performance saw him bested on stage by his main rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who twice shrugged off Perry's garbled efforts to attack his record, saying dismissively: "Nice try."
Despite nine candidates on stage before a rowdy audience in Orlando, the interplay between the two men dominated the debate, with both accusing the other of changing their positions.
For Perry, the lacklustre performance raises fears among Republicans that he would fail to dent Barack Obama in the high-profile presidential debates during the 2012 general election.
Romney, though, was polished and more fluent, especially as the debate wore on, although he avoided making detailed responses.
The Texas governor also saw his otherwise impeccable conservative credentials come under fire, over his policy of allowing the children of illegal immigrants to benefit from cheaper in-state tuition fees to attend university.
Perry hotly defended the policy, accusing critics of seeking to punish children for the sins of their parents.
"If you say that we should not educate children that have come into our state for no other reason than they've been brought here by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart," said Perry – an attitude unlikely to go down well with the Republican base he is seeking to win over.
Perry said Romney was guilty of supporting the Obama administration's flagship "Race to the Top" education programme, saying: "Being in favour of the Obama Race to the Top – that is not conservative."
The debate again revealed an ugly side of the Republican party, with at least one audience member loudly booing a member of the US armed forces who appeared on video to ask a question.
The soldier, who revealed that he was gay, asked the candidates how they would respond to the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell," the policy barring gays and lesbians from serving openly in the US military that ended this week.
The booing followed similar scenes in the previous debates, when audience members applauded Perry's tally of executions as governor and another shouted "Yes!" at the prospect of the uninsured dying from lack of healthcare.
Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman joked that Romney and Perry were bludgeoning each other but the other candidates failed to make much of their opportunities in the third debate within three weeks.
The most memorable line of the night, though, came from former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson. Discussing the Obama administration's attempts at economic stimulus, Johnson said:
My next-door neighbour's two dogs have created more shovel-ready jobs than this administration.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/23/gop-presidential-debate-romney-perry
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