Iowa Debate: Clueless Romney's $10,000 Bet Blunder Makes Gingrich the Man to Beat

In a spirited Saturday night debate with no clear winner, there was one clear loser: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, once considered the inevitable 2012 presidential nominee of the Republican Party. The ABC News debate, moderated by Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos, took place at Drake University in Iowa, whose caucuses will kick off the Republican primary season in less than three weeks. Romney's defeat came not at the hands of the current frontrunner, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, but was instead was the gift of his own mouth. In a moment reminiscent of George H.W. Bush's clueless campaign romp through a grocers' conference -- when he beheld with wonder the miracle that was a barcode scanner -- Romney challenged rival Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, to a bet. A $10,000 bet. Read more