Will Mitt Romney's 'brutal' 'Rick Perry's a moron' ad backfire?

Romney released a web ad painting Perry as an inarticulate buffoon who's unable to debate — or lead the U.S. Then he pulled the ad

Mitt Romney and Gov. Rick Perry
(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry got in each other's face during Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas, but the personal attacks didn't end with the debate, they just moved online. Both candidates used the debate in online ads to highlight various gaffes made by the other — but Romney pulled his hard-hitting spot, a mix of awkward Perry debate moments and clips of TV analysts trash-talking the Texas governor. (Watch the ad below) The Romney campaign said CNN, which hosted the debate, asked that the ad be pulled due to copyright issues — CNN confirmed the request — but not everyone's buying that explanation. Did Romney cross a line?

Romney just jumped the shark: Romney's selective editing of debate footage to make Perry look like "blithering idiot" is simply "disgusting," says Bryan Preston in Pajamas Media. And his decision to "throw a punch well below the belt, then pull it," tells us a lot: Romney is rattled, he's willing to tear his party apart to win, and he's scared of Perry. "This ad may mark a turning point in the GOP primary, and the beginning of Mitt Romney's fall from frontrunner status."

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