After watching the debate, one thing is for sure; Romney and Perry do NOT like each other.  I think it was CNN who even did a nice little story on the death glare they gave each other.  Tim Pawlenty must have felt left out because he got in the action by criticizing Romneycare.  The candidates spent more time bashing Romney and his position than they did on the issues.  Two things to take from this: 1. Romney is the front runner and the other candidates are threatened and 2. We won't be seeing a Romney/Perry presidential ticket.

Herman Cain's illustrious rise has been all over the news, but I have my doubts about his ability to pull off an upset.  First of all his 9-9-9 plan, even though it got him to the top, won't last long under the scrutiny of the other candidates and the media.  It sounds nice, but is ultimately unachievable and possibly bad for the country.  Second, his former position as a member of the board at a branch of the Federal Reserve is going to kill him once it becomes big news, and if he continues to gain popularity, it will.  At the end of the day, he doesn't have the unique policy or experience positions that he would need to beat the other candidates.  He portrays himself as a red-blooded Conservative and about as far right as the Jebus fans get.  His statements about building a fence(at one time to be electric, but he has since called that a "joke") and putting troops on the border pretty much proved that.  I'm under the impression that a lot of his popularity is coming for the shocking statements he makes, especially in regards to the Black population.  While the Tea Party is desperate to prove that its not racist(probably another source of popularity), the far right wing is eating up Cain's description of the Black population; I've heard it described as "exactly what we're all thinking, but too afraid to say" by a less than cordial southern man.  Now I'm not here to accuse the Tea Party, Republicans, or Southerner's as being racist, I don't believe that's the case at all, but I'm not nieve enough to think that Cain's race and racial comments aren't helping him right now.  The right needs the credibility and Cain gives them exactly what they want, a strongly Conservative, "outsider" candidate who makes them look not racist because he's Black.  Not to mention the fact that if the debates were only broadcast over the radio, not a single person would guess hes Black.  Call me a hater or whatever you want, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this win-win situation for the right is EXACTLY why he's so popular right now.  He doesn't have any spectacular ideas that the other candidates don't have as well.  Most of the candidates, including Cain, pander to the Religious Right and sound exactly alike.  I don't know what we'd do without Romney, Ron Paul, and Cain's 9-9-9 because the candidates would agree instead of debate!

Although I will say this, Cain would be a perfect running mate for Romney.  The Evangelical's would get their Christian and quit whining about Romney being a Mormon, Cain would bring the Conservatives that don't like Romney, the Left wouldn't be able to stomp their feet and cry that the Right doesn't like Obama because they're all racist, and independent voters might support them because Romney is far closer to the center than the other candidates, plus he's not affiliated with the Religious Right, which will DEFINITELY win him votes.  I really don't think the Religious Right knows how far away they push other voters and scare the less religious and conservative voters. I, for instance, was at one time a committed Republican, but I've recently moved away and tried distancing myself, not because I don't believe in small government, lower taxes, supply-side economics, or fiscal responsibility but rather I don't like being grouped with a people who think another group of people are an "abomination", that the world is 6,000 years old, or vote based on a book written 2,000 years ago by some guys in the desert.  I firmly believe that a President should be elected based on his qualifications, policy positions, and overall merit rather than one's particular faith, but thats just me.

 To be fair, that's not to say that I'm not religious or don't believe in God, but I've realized that its possible the scientists might know a little more than the desert-bro's and that the mountain of evidence they provide, and I've read, is true.  If God created the universe(which I believe He did) and the evidence, based on observations of His creation, aren't true(as people who believe the Bible claim), then that makes God a liar.  Rather than call God a liar, I make the giant leap into believing that the desert-dude's who wrote the Bible had it wrong.  In any event, Romney's faith should never be the reason he wins or loses the election.  Unfortunately, that's not the case; people vote based on their religion and a candidate has to openly proclaim his Christianity to win.  And we wonder why the Europe laughs at us and everyone else hates us.