GOP hopefuls in last debate before caucus

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Republican presidential front-runner Newt Gingrich clashed sharply with one rival and said it was laughable for any of them to challenge his conservative credentials last night in the last campaign debate before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses kick off the 2012 primary season.

In a forceful attack, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said Gingrich "had his hand out and received $1.6 million to influence senior Republicans and keep the scam going in Washington, D.C.," for Freddie Mac, a government-backed housing entity.

"Just not true," Gingrich shot back. "I never lobbied under any circumstances," he added, denying an allegation she had not made.

The clash underscored the state of race, with Gingrich, the former House speaker, atop the polls in Iowa and nationally, while Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his other pursuers work in television ads and elsewhere to overtake him in the final days before the caucuses.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who has staked his campaign on Iowa, was quick to challenge Gingrich as a conservative leader. He recalled that Gingrich had to contend with a "conservative revolution' from the ranks of Republican lawmakers as speaker in the 1990s.

The stakes are high, and Gingrich and Santorum were not the only ones eager to impress the television audience with their grit and conservative beliefs.

"I hope I am the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry, referring to the Denver Broncos quarterback whose passing ability draws ridicule but who has led his team to a remarkable seven wins in eight weeks.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman insisted that he, in fact, was a steadier conservative than any of the others on stage.

"Anybody up here could beat Obama," said Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, whose views verge on libertarianism and who has struggled to expand his appeal.

Indeed, the big question in the opening moments of a fast-paced two-hour debate went to the heart of a dilemma that could eventually settle the race -- do conservative Republican caucus and primary voters pick a candidate with their hearts, or do they look elsewhere if they judge their favored candidate might not be able to defeat the president?

If experience is any guide, one or more of the hopefuls on stage last night will be forced to drop out after Iowa.