When viewers turned on their TV sets to watch the Fox News-Google GOP presidential debate on Thursday night, they expected to see an extended back-and-forth between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry  that would cement their star status. What they got instead was a second tier of candidates that consistently outshone them, leaving the Republican Party questioning the mettle and messages of its frontrunners.
 
While the race is arguably still between the former governor of Massachusetts and the current one of Texas, the B-listers made the audience take a second look. Each, in his or her own way, seized opportunities that both men missed.