Last night’s Republican Presidential Nominee Debate, turned out to be basically what everyone expected it to be: The Rick and Mitt Show.

Right from the start, the two Republican leaders went after each other, as if the other participants in the debate did not really matter.

And, if you study the polls, they actually don’t.

The current and former Governors got into a spitting contest as to who created the most jobs for their respective states.

From the Washington Times:

“Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt,” said Mr. Perry, referring to the former liberal Democratic governor who lost the 1988 presidential election.

“George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, governor,” retorted Mr. Romney, a one-term Massachusetts governor who made his fortune leading a capital investment firm, as he pointed to the man whom Mr. Perry succeeded in 2000.

Then, they compared the rest of their initiatives, including Massachusetts state-run Healthcare System, Romneycare:

…Mr. Perry took fire over his state’s low rankings on education, Texas’s record-breaking pace of executions of criminals, and his move as governor to try to have all 12-year-old girls in his state inoculated against a sexually transmitted disease – something he acknowledged he would have done differently now.

Meanwhile, Mr. Romney was blasted for his decision as governor to sign a health care law that includes an individual mandate that every resident of his state purchase health care or face a fine.

“It was a great opportunity for us as a people to see what will not work, and that is an individual mandate in this country,” said Mr. Perry, while businessman Herman Cain said he had opposed former first lady Hillary Clinton’s 1990s health care plan, President Obama’s 2010 plan and “now I’m running against Romneycare.”

Mr. Romney said what worked in his state won’t work everywhere, and said one of his first acts as president would be to have his administration issue waivers to every state.

“I understand health care pretty darn well, having been through what I went through as a governor. And one thing I’d do on day one if I’m elected president is direct my secretary of Health and Human Services to put an executive order granting a waiver from Obamacare to all 50 states,” he said.

That’s not to say some of the other candidates did not produce some excellent soundbites of their own.

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota quipped:

Obamacare took over one-sixth of the economy. This is the issue of 2012, together with jobs. This is our window of opportunity. If we fail to repeal Obamacare in 2012, it will be with us forever, and it will be socialized medicine.

However, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich fired off the quote of the night when he blasted Debate Moderator John Harris of Politico:

I for one and I hope that all of my friends up here are going to repudiate every effort of the news media to get Republicans to fight each other, to protect Barack Obama who deserves to be defeated. And all of us are committed as a team. Whoever the nominee is, we are all for defeating Barack Obama.

The other three candidates on stage, fomer Utah Governor John Huntsman, Jr., former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and the crazy uncle that no family ever admits to having, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, tried their best to get noticed.

However, none of them garnered any new votes with their performances.

Of course, what would an appearance by Ron Paul in a public forum be without the obligatory Straw Poll.

NBC, being the epitome of broadcast journalism that they are, ran one on their website.  You guessed it, Uncle Ron won again.

Ron Paul 48.1% (37,472 votes), Mitt Romney 18.9% (14,683 votes), Rick Perry 14.9% (11,603 votes), Jon Huntsman 7.2% (5,636 votes), Newt Gingrich 4.2% (3,308 votes), Herman Cain 3% (2,360 votes), Michele Bachmann 2.5% (1,929 votes), Rick Santorum 1.2% (899 votes)

I’m shocked.

I wonder if all those Ron Paul supporters called or texted each other before they slammed the straw poll?

Anyway, the subject of their admiration, the perennial also-ran, Dr. Paul,seems to be trying to take Perry out of the race anyway he can.

For the second day in a row, the good doctor slammed Perry as not being a Conservative, again, per the Washington Times:

In an open letter to the Perry camp, Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton hammers the three-term governor’s record and accuses Mr. Perry of acting like a Democrat during his long political career.

Mr. Perry, he said, praised Hillary Clinton’s health care plan in the 1990s, pushed for federal stimulus funds and supported welfare for illegal immigrants. He also notes that Mr. Perry backed a mandate that 12-year-old girls be vaccinated against sexually transmitted diseases, raised taxes twice and more than doubled Texas’ debt during his time in office.

“You supported ALL of these bad ideas that are inconsistent with how most Republicans understand conservatism, yet you now try to swagger your way into the tea party,” he wrote, underscoring the Paul camp’s message that GOP voters shouldn’t trust Mr. Perry.

Dr. Paul brought up the same weak arguments during the debate, in a desperate, but failed,  move to achieve additional notoriety.

After watching and studying last night’s debate, I think its a safe bet to say that Gov. Rick Perry and former Governor Mitt Romney  will be fighting for the Republican Presidential Nomination.

That is…unless somebody else decides to declare…