Romney, Perry go after each other in GOP debate

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Romney, Perry go after each other in GOP debate

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Debate focused on character and credibility as much as on other issues.

23 September,2011 09:48 am

Side by side in confrontational debate, Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rick Perry sarcastically accused each other Thursday night of flip-flopping on Social Security and health care, flashpoints in their intense struggle for the party nomination.In a debate that focused on character and credibility as much as other issues, Perry insisted he had backed off not one inch, Sir from what he had written in a campaign-season book published a few months ago.Romney vouched for his own steadfastness moments later. There are a lot of reasons not to elect me, he said. There are a lot of reasons not to elect other people on this stage. ... But one reason to elect me is I know what I stand for. Ive written it down. Words have meaning.The two men assailed one another in the third debate in as many weeks in a race for the Republican presidential nomination growing testier by the day.Perry runs ahead in national opinion polls, with Romney a close second, and they compete daily for endorsements from members of Congress and other party luminaries in hopes of gaining a permanent edge before the caucuses and primaries begin early next year.The other contenders on the stage struggled at times to gain the debate spotlight, even as they struggle to gain traction in the polls.