Another intense night unfolded as the GOP presidential candidates continued to battle for the lead — which means knocking Rick Perry out of first place. The candidates might not agree on anything, but they seemed to have the same opinion on the President’s performance. In Tampa, Florida on Monday night the eight presidential candidates showed similar behavior as they did the previous week.

Perry continues as the front-runner in the race thus far and it was obvious that all other contenders were relentlessly trying to shake him. Michele Bachmann targeted Perry on his bill that requires teen girls to have the HPV shot in the state of Texas. She questioned if the drug company’s donations were the initiative behind the mandatory vaccinations or if it was actually about “protecting life.”

Mitt Romney challenged Perry by telling him how he really felt about his job creation, saying, “look I think governor Perry would agree with me that if your dealt four aces, that doesn’t make you necessarily a great poker player.” Romney and Perry continued their one-on-one battle throughout the night, as seen the week before. They still remain the top two candidates in the race.

Ron Paul also chimed in on Rick Perry’s job record and mentioned that as a taxpayer in Texas, and with Rick Perry as his governor, his taxes have doubled alongside spending since he came to office. Rick Perry was not the only candidate faced with criticism. Ron Paul also dealt with confrontation from Santorum and sustained booing from the audience.

The cause was an article posted on Paul’s website that stated the 9/11 attacks were America’s fault. Michele Bachmann had a strong night and was seen as a bit more aggressive in Tampa than she was the week before in California. This was essential for her position as one of the top three front-runners and secured her stay in the race.

Many viewers believe that Bachman performed the best out of every candidate. Bachmann said she had “wonderful positive feedback and comments from it, so we’re delighted.” Candidate Herman Cain chimed in from time to time with his policies and said, “he would bring a sense of humor to the white house, because America is too uptight,” which added some humor to the debate.

No matter what stance each candidate took throughout the night, it was made clear across the stage that President Obama had to be replaced in 2012, amid a sense of humor. Newt Gringrich said, “I’m not particularly worried about Governor Perry and Governor Romney frightening the American people when President Obama scares them everyday.”

Santorum stated, “Some people say that Barack Obama’s economy is a disaster, my feeling is it would have to make a dramatic improvement just to be a disaster.” With a few more debates left to go, it will be interesting to see if Perry will continue to be the target for other candidates and if candidates will continue to clobber the President in hope of republican support.

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The debate that took place at the infamous Ronald Reagan Library gave those who tuned in the opportunity to formally see where the eight GOP presidential candidates stand on some of the most burning issues facing the country. It was clear that two candidates carried the spotlight throughout the night. Romney and Perry didn’t waste any time and began their heated battle right from the start.

Each dealt with tough questions, and both were confronted on issues of job creation in their state and their plan for the economy. Romney, who was bumped down by Perry in recent polls to a second place, showed an adequate performance at last week’s debate. Romney was able to stay composed and focused even when faced with questions regarding some of his weak spots, such as healthcare.

Romney’s health care plan, often referred to as “Romney Care,” was one topic that Romney couldn’t avoid answering — the main reason being that all other candidates oppose Romney’s healthcare bill because it resembles that of President Obama. He will have to expand on the difference between his and the President’s in future debates.

Romney was also confronted with his ideas for job creation when questioned about his poor ranking as the 47^th state for job creation within his ten years as governor. Romney responded, “We were able to turn around the job losses and at the end of four years we had the unemployment rate down to 4.7%. That’s a record I think the president would like to see. As a matter of fact we created more jobs in Massachusetts than this president has created in this entire country.”

He also used his experience in the private sector to promote his foundation for forming jobs. Rick Perry, who is now in the lead in the GOP presidential election, is known to be inexperienced in live debates compared to the other candidates. However, this didn’t show and Perry was able to answer many questions, with only a few fumbles.

Perry was also faced with the topic of job creation and economy. He was asked about economic issues that surround Texas such as having the lowest minimum wage in the country and being one of eight states with the highest level of poverty.

Perry responded, “What Americans are looking for is someone who can get this country working again, and we put the model in place in the state of Texas. When you look at what we have done over the last decade we have created one million jobs in the state of Texas, the same time Americans lost 2 1/2 million.”

Although a good answer, Perry dodged many of the questions being asked and instead responded with his track record of creating jobs. The fact that Mitt Romney and Rick Perry were in the spotlight last at the first debate could indicate the direction of the race for the presidential nomination.

Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to President George W. Bush during his presidential campaign, responded to last week’s debate as, “great theater, good fireworks. Rick Perry is the front-runner and he did nothing last night to knock himself off that status. Mitt Romney was solid as he has been in the recent debates.”

With both candidates showing no signs of giving up, it will be exciting to see if the upcoming debates continue to play out like a boxing match between Romney and Perry, or if other candidates will want to step in for the fight.

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The federal courts could be in for a dramatic change if Texas governor Rick Perry wins the presidency. The Republican presidential hopeful is looking to curb the court’s alleged ‘judicial activism’ by ending the practice of appointing justices for life.

Under the US Constitution, federal judges (including Supreme Court justices) hold their seats for life and can only be removed after an impeachment trial in the Senate. Because their extended tenure allows them to shape judicial policy long after the president who appointed them has left office, their confirmation hearings in the Senate have become increasingly bitter in recent years.

In his 2010 book Fed Up!, Perry describes the Supreme Court as “nine oligarchs in robes” and calls for measures “to restrict the unlimited power of the courts to rule over us with no accountability.”

One of the measures that Perry briefly discusses is stripping justices of their life tenure. Instead, he supports a system where terms are staggered so that there is a retirement every two years or so. Each justice would serve for eighteen years, which would prevent any one president from being able to appoint a majority of the court.

Although Perry has cast his argument in terms of restraining judicial activism, others have called for an end to life tenure on medical grounds. In a January 2011 article on the the independent news site ProPublica, Joseph Goldstein highlighted the effect of senility and dementia on the federal bench.

He revealed that the percentage of octogenarians and nonagenarians hearing cases in federal courts has doubled over the past twenty years. Furthermore, forcing a debilitated judge off the bench is incredibly difficult. At present, it is usually done by behind-the-scenes peer pressure from fellow judges.

The last impeachment for mental incapacity was in 1803, and while it is possible for a federal judge to be forcibly retired due to permanent disability, this has only happened twice in the past twenty years.

Currently, there is a form of semi-retirement in place for federal judges. If a judge has reached the age of 65 and has served for at least fifteen years, they may elect to assume senior status, which entitles them to work part-time even though they have vacated their seat. They also continue to draw their full salary.

Although the scheme is designed to let elderly judges step aside with dignity to make room for new talent, its voluntary nature may undermine its effectiveness. Also, the idea of a judge handling any cases while suffering from a cognitive impairment tends to undermine confidence in the judiciary.

Although the majority of octogenarians and nonagenarians on the federal bench are almost certainly fit to serve, the question of what to do with judges who refuse to resign due to their declining faculties is one that will assume new urgency as the average lifespan increases.

In the end, it may be biology, not politics, that lends credence to Perry’s plan.

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