http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57323556-503544/cbs-news-and-national-journal-host-republican-debate-on-saturday-night/November 11, 2011 10:30 PM
The Spartanburg, South Carolina, debate is chance for Texas Gov. Rick Perry to revive his candidacy after a major flub Wednesday night in Michigan where he said he wants to eliminate three government agencies but could only name two of them. The awkward pause has been played over and over again on TV and the Internet since then.
In the CBS News poll released Friday, Cain leads the field with 18 percent, followed by Romney and a surging Newt Gingrich at 15 percent. Perry is in fourth place in the poll with 8 percent, followed by Ron Paul at 5 percent, Michele Bachmann at 4 percent, Rick Santorum at 2 percent and Jon Huntsman at 1 percent.
The poll also showed that GOP primary voters consider Gingrich the presidential candidate most qualified to lead the military and handle an international crisis. He was cited by 31 percent of those surveyed, followed by Romney at 19 percent and Cain at 8 percent.
Meanwhile, political observers will be watching Herman Cain closely to see how he fares on matters of foreign policy as his signature 9-9-9 tax plan is primarily a domestic matter. Cain has been criticized as a Johnny one-note, and Saturday night's forum could give the former restaurant executive an opportunity to move beyond that narrative and to talk about something other than the sexual harassment accusations that have dominated media coverage for the past two weeks.
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This should be a real hoot.