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Beyond all of the tactical discussion, the startegic point is that Perry may be running away with this race, barring an implosion on his part. The latest polls show him with solid leads - the latest one by CNN has Perry leading in every single category. Polls this early, especially national polls, are pretty useless. But still, they play into a growing realisation that Perry is the one to beat - assuming he can be beaten.

Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has sparked a high-stakes political fight over Social Security by calling the popular retirement program a "failure" and a "Ponzi scheme" on the campaign trail and in his recent book.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, warned during a debate last week that the Republican Party should nominate someone "who isn't committed to abolishing Social Security, but who is committed to saving Social Security."

On the trail, she has not engaged in the sort of rhetorical hand-to-hand combat that Perry and Romney have, preferring to stick to scripted talking points attacking President Obama. But she has also suffered from diminishing media attention. A press conference last week on Capitol Hill following the president's jobs speech was sparsely populated.

7.52pm ET:

As far as I can see Richard, Ron Paul seems to be winning the argument and in all probability will win the GOP nomination. Prestitutes like yourself have purposely ignored Ron Paul and consistently denounce him, either by callous omission, or by regarding him as a crank with no chance.

We are not the only people live-blogging this debate, of course.

Brown
Pink: Steady on Sebastian, I mean Mr Brown.

Brown: Oh hahaha Adrian. You're so cruel.

Now he's introducing the candidates individually up on stage like it was a tag-team wrestling match. "The former president and CEO of Godfather's Pizza, Herman Cain!"

Seriously, in the last debate, Perry and Romney had already scratched each other's eyes by now. Come on CNN.

Bachmann is trying to say how great social security is and why it needs to be gutted. "I am a person who had feet in the private sector and a foot in government," says Bachmann. That must have been painful.

Now

8.36pm ET:

Huntsman continues to pander for the irony vote with an oblique and deeply weird Nirvana reference.

Romney is breaking just slightly out of his robotic shell, but it is kind of a bad sign when "testy" is an improvement, personality-wise.

is asked again about his decision to mandate the HPV vaccine for girls as young as 11. He acknowledges the way he implemented the policy was a mistake, but defends the principle on the grounds of public health. Which is not an approach he takes to climate change, strangely.

9.23pm ET:Ron Paul

is accusing Rick Perry of being a left-wing crypto-Marxist. In fact he says: "For Rick Perry to say that we can't secure the border, that's treasonous."

9.42pm ET:Ron Paul

is asking what changes the candidates would make to the White House. Really.

Newt says he'd bring ballet and a chess set. Bachmann wins: "I'd bring a copy of the declaration of independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and that's it."

11.08pm: