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The many minds of Mitt Romney, the blank mind of, of...

Texas Governor Rick Perry says that he's not quitting and that his inability in last night's to remember his own burn-it-down platform for

Texas Governor Rick Perry says that he's not quitting and that his inability in last night's to remember his own burn-it-down platform for governing won't finish his presidential campaign. But when a politician is seemingly so bent on such a complete remaking of government, he can look remarkably unserious in a hurry if he can't remember the third pillar he intends to knock down. Gail Collins, bless her heart, knows where her sympathies lie:

Pity the Republican voters. They aren’t asking for much. They just want a candidate who’s really conservative but not totally crazy. Who has verbs in his sentences. Who didn’t drive to Canada with the family dog strapped to the roof of the car. Yet they’re still searching with such desperation that you expect to wake up some morning and see a headline like: “Poll Says Most Likely Voters in South Carolina Favor the Geico Gecko.”

Considering the many minds of Mitt Romney, Republicans do have one thing to thank Governor Perry for: With performances like last night's and the one in New Hampshire, he's getting consistent.

What else happened in the debate? Try the Romney flipflop on payroll taxes for working folks, and Herman Cain's pretzel logic about the sexual harassment allegations.