The other week, Perry seemed to score. The new guy, not the caricature he was portrayed to be.

Tonight, his Achilles heel comes clear. Illegal immigration, specifically in-state tuition.

Oh my. How in the world is this explainable to American parents who have had to work their fingers to the bone (the polite expression) to pay for their kids’ tuition? What, the obvious question will be, is the difference between state-paid tuition… and state paid health care?

This is rapidly becoming Perry’s version of RomneyCare.

Which brings this back to Michele Bachmann’s stellar answer about choosing a running mate who understood what it meant to be a constitutional conservative.

And a question: Is Newt increasingly seen as the Adult In the Room?

More to the point: Is Mitt Romney winning the last man standing contest?

Stay tuned. It’s only September, a full 11 months to the winner’s date with GOP Convention destiny.