bapifar01: Romney says Perry is too liberal

Romney's campaign is knocking Perry for having 'liberal' views

Perry is now the liberal in the race. And if that makes you laugh incredulously, see Rush Limbaugh, taking a dig at Perry (and Romney) while discussing Herman Cain's straw poll victory in Florida.

Headline on Romney web video, last night:

Exposed: Rick Perry and his liberal immigration views

Romney's aggressive attacks may be hurting Perry, but as Markos pointed out, Romney isn't gaining ground. Romney's leading the most recent Fox poll, but not because his support has grown ? he's leading because Perry has stumbled. It's Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich who have picked up ground, and Chris Christie has become the talk of the GOP town.

That leaves the GOP establishment in a bit of a pickle: it's clear they don't want Rick Perry to get the nomination, but they've got to be afraid that Romney can't close the deal. That doesn't mean they aren't doing their best to boost Romney ? check out these clips from Wednesday and Thursday in which Fox anchors Shepard Smith and Megyn Kelly work with Carl Cameron to redeclare Romney as the frontrunner:

(You can also check out this clip and this clip for more examples of Perry's Fox problem.)

Still, not even Fox can point to any actual enthusiasm for Romney from Republican primary voters. The best they can do is compare him to a tortoise, and hope that the latest distraction of the day ? whether it's Herman Cain or Chris Christie or Donald Trump or Sarah Palin ? is enough to keep the GOP primary field unsettled as Romney methodically makes his way to the finish line, hoping to be the last option standing.

In short, the Romney strategy is to let everybody else lose first. That's not exactly inspiring, but with both Fox and the GOP establishment on his side (unless Chris Christie enters the race), it's plausible ? and given his weaknesses, it's probably his best shot.