TAMPA — Mitt Romney’s path to the Republican nomination became clearer Monday night – and it had little to do with his attacks on Rick Perry over Social Security.

Instead it was the fire Perry took from the right at the CNN-Tea Party Express debate that suddenly seemed more threatening to the Texas governor’s chances than Romney

Perry was sharply criticized by Michele Bachmann for his support of vaccinating girls against HPV and whether he did so as a favor to an aide-turned-lobbyist and a pharmaceutical firm; he was hit by Rick Santorum for his opposition to a border fence and backing of Texas legislation to give the children of illegal immigrants in-state college tuition; and he was dinged by Ron Paul over whether taxes have gone up in Texas.

Taken together, few issues resonate as much with conservative base at the moment as culture, cronyism, American iden y and fiscal purity. And Perry was forced on the defensive over each of them in Tampa.

That might be the Texan’s chief vulnerability and his main rival’s best hope: that the Republican undercard of Bachmann, Santorum and Paul remains in the race to bloody Perry so much on his right flank that Romney can consolidate enough of the GOP establishment to eke out a plurality victory.

The former Massachusetts governor’s high command could barely contain their glee after the forum.

“Rick Perry came into this debate with a Social Security problem and he left with a conservative problem and he had to defend himself,” said senior Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom. “Not only on the HPV vaccine, but on the taxes he increased, the spending and the debt that went up and his decision to provide in-state benefits to illegal immigrants.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63357.html

Perry did take some pretty good punches and struggled during Bachman's remarks about Perry's executive order for the cancer pill for young girls. He also got some boo's from the tea party crowd who clearly favor Perry.