Perry vs. Romney
What did we learn about the two Republican frontrunners in last night's debate? For starters, Perry seemed sloppy and awkward at times, and he had trouble landing his punches. Romney's been in this game far longer, knows the ropes, and is more refined. Still, there's a question about authenticity that Romney can't shake, and while Perry hasn't exactly capitalized, you get the sense that at least you know where Perry's coming from. Perry has a few weeks to get his debate game up to Romney's level -- no small task -- and if he doesn't, Republican voters may have trouble believing Perry could really mount a serious challenge to President Obama. Politico's six takeaways from the debate are here.
Politico also asks whether the first line of Perry's campaign obituary was written last night. Did the Texas governor get in the race too late? There's still time to regroup -- but clearly Perry needs to do better when he has the opportunity.
Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson had the line of the night -- saying his neighbor's dogs have created more shovel-ready jobs than President Obama. Turns out Johnson may have swiped that zinger from Rush Limbaugh.
Bill Clinton's back in the headlines with a new book with his plan to fix the economy. Is this good or bad for President Obama? Voters would like nothing more than a steady hand like Clinton's guiding the economy, as he did in the 90s. So any appearance of daylight between what President Obama is doing and what President Clinton would have done can't help the current man in charge, can it?