Perry's rocky debate has some in GOP fretting

ORLANDO, Fla. - Texas Gov. Rick Perry tried to put the best spin Friday on his impression of a headlight-frozen deer in the previous night's Republican presidential debate, seeking to quiet a chorus of party activists and strategists wondering aloud if he has what it takes.

"It's not the slickest candidate or smoothest debater that we need to elect," Perry said at a meeting here of the Conservative Political Action Committee, urging attendees instead to pick someone who will "stand their ground."

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, meanwhile, had a prime 7:15 a.m. slot on Fox and Friends, basking in positive reviews for an aggressive debate performance, amid signs he has the chance to overtake the fading Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota as the voice of pure conservatives in the primary.

Santorum tangled with Perry Thursday night on the Texan's record on illegal immigration, and drew attacks from both Perry and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.

It's too early to tell whether Perry's third straight rocky debate performance will dent his status as the GOP front-runner. After all, bad primary debate performances don't always correlate with electoral failure, as another Texan, former President George W. Bush, proved.

Still, Perry did himself no favors by defending in-state college tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants and by occasional moments of incoherence on foreign policy and other topics.

"I think Americans just don't know sometimes which Mitt Romney they're dealing with," Perry said at one point on the debate stage, seeking to attack his rival's shifts in positions over the years. "Is it the Mitt Romney that was on the side of against the Second Amendment before he was for the Second Amendment? Was it - was before he was before the social programs, from the standpoint of he was for standing up for Roe v. Wade before he was against Roe v. Wade? He was for Race to the Top, he's for Obamacare, and now he's against it."

In part, veteran GOP operatives said, Perry has been damaged by his swift ascent. He came into the race late, was hailed as a game-changer, and quickly surged into the lead in polls. But although he has been governor of Texas for a decade, Perry has had no national experience. And he has not had to win over many opponents in his overwhelmingly conservative state, analysts said.

"Texas is the most behaviorally Republican large state," said GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio, who is unaligned in the race. "You don't have the back and forth in Texas you'd get on the national stage."

He said Perry risked feeding the Romney campaign's narrative that the Texas governor is not ready to be president.

"It really helps to open in New Haven before you hit Broadway," said David Keene, longtime head of the American Conservative Union. "The question is whether he [Perry] can get up to speed fast enough."

Charlie Gerow, a Harrisburg-based Republican consultant, said Perry has time. As the primary season wears on, he said, voters will care less about the "nuances" and mistakes Perry made in early debates - as long as he gets better at it.

"Folks like him for his candor and steadfastness," Gerow said. "He connects with people."

But Fabrizio said Perry had a "surprisingly tin ear" on immigration, noting that most Republicans think it's "a matter of fairness" to block illegal immigrants from receiving tuition subsidies. By calling his critics heartless, Perry could make GOP voters wonder whether he "shares their values," Fabrizio said.

Santorum brought home that point during the debate when he said Perry was wrong to suggest that his critics don't want to see innocent children of illegal immigrants have a chance at education. "Why should they be given preferential treatment as an illegal in this country? That's what we're saying," Santorum said.

Later, Santorum attacked Huntsman for suggesting that the United States pull out of Afghanistan as soon as possible because of the cost. The war must be won, Santorum said. "Just because our economy is sick does not mean our country is sick," he said.

Santorum sent out a fund-raising e-mail to supporters Friday hoping to convert the good reviews into campaign cash. He plans to head on Sunday to the early voting state of Iowa, where he hopes to further gain momentum against Bachmann.

"We're being taken more seriously than we were a year ago," said John Brabender, Santorum's chief strategist. "This was the expectation we had all along: that the debates would be a chance for the senator to show his seriousness, his thoughtfulness and what he's accomplished. The senator is on the national stage, and he's dealt with so many of these issues."