Mitt Romney points to the audience with Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn, prior to a debate Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan... (Associated Press) 
 
 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. Mitt Romney makes a comment during a Fox News/Google debate Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011, in Orlando, Fla.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov.  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. The tensions only grew as the night wore on, to the point where Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the former governor of Utah, joked that Mr. Romney and Mr. Perry were at risk of bludgeoning each other to death. Text Size - 
 
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 reset Perry defends immigration policy POLITICO 44 
 
 Three of Perry’s opponents – including his nearest competitor, Mitt Romney – accused the Texas governor of coddling illegal immigrants with a law allowing young people who broke the law by entering the United States to claim in-state tuition benefits in Texas. Offering an impassioned defense of that policy — and receiving boos from a segment of the audience — Mr. Perry did not back down, saying, “If you say that we should not educate children that have come into our state for no other reason than they’ve been brought here by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart.” 
 
 The debate, held at the Orange County Convention Center and sponsored by Fox News, Google and the Republican Party of Florida, featured robust audience participation and questions submitted via YouTube. At one point, Mr. Romney cited a passage from Mr. Perry’s book “Fed Up!” and said the Texas governor had suggested that state or local governments be allowed to run their own Social Security programs. He accused Mr. Perry of running away from his own words. “We have to turn off the magnet of extraordinary government benefits.” 
 
 Under fire from Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann on the same issue, Perry said he didn’t believe in punishing children who entered the country illegally through no fault of their own. “You better find that Rick Perry and get him to stop saying that.” 
 
 Mr. Perry hit back by accusing Mr. Romney of editing his book “No Apologies” between printings to remove a passage saying that the health care plan he instituted in Massachusetts — considered a model for President Obama’s overhaul — was good for the nation. “You said that it was exactly what the American people needed to have — that’s Romneycare — given to them as you had in Massachusetts,” he said. Perry soon returned the favor, saying that Romney switched his position on health care between editions of a book he had published. In addition to Perry, Romney, Bachmann and Santorum, there were five other candidates on stage: Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich and Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor making his first debate appearance in months.
– Republicans got back into debate mode tonight, with Rick Perry and Mitt Romney trading a series of sharp and sometimes sarcastic barbs at one another over Social Security, immigration, and other issues, reports AP. No fewer than nine candidates were on the stage, thanks to the invite extended to former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. (He got perhaps the biggest applause line of the night with this line: "My neighbor's two dogs have created more shovel-ready projects for this country" than Obama.) But Perry and Romney were the main focus, and their back-and-forth on Social Security typified things: Perry said his position on it isn't as radical as his foes say, adding it was "not the first time that Mitt's been wrong on some issues before," notes the New York Times. Romney responded: "There's a Rick Perry out there that's saying the federal government shouldn't be in the pension business. You better find that Rick Perry and get him to stop saying that." Perry then accused Romney of changing views of his Massachusetts health care law in different versions of his book, and later widened the flip-flopping charges to a host of other issues. (Romney used the phrase "nice try" at different times to deflect Perry criticisms.) Immigration also emerged as a main issue, with Romney, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Santorum criticizing the Texas policy of giving in-state tuition benefits to immigrants' kids, notes Politico. Bachmann called such programs "magnets," but Perry said of his critics, "I don't think you have a heart." Catch up with live-blogging and details on the other candidates here.