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"FacebookPinterest\n\nIn the final hours before the caucus, Rick Perry strode across a flag-festooned stage here in Des Moines tonight, eyes gleaming, his pant legs just a bit too long, gesticulating passionately and speaking in hushed tones about the importance of faith and country. He gave gracious shout outs to a number of solid conservatives in the audience there to support him, like Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Comptroller Susan Combs, and Representatives Sam Graves from Missouri and Mick Mulvaney, a South Carolina freshman.\n\nIt was, for Perry anyway, a strong performance. The former governor hit all the right notes for a candidate vying for Iowa's social conservatives: he wad reverently about the military, touting the endorsements of war veterans, about the importance of making the right choice for the next generation, and promised to make government as insignificant in American life as possible. But for all of Perry's enthusiasm, his events today were not brimming with the enthusiasm of a candidate making a last minute surge. The overwhelming tone was one of lowered expectations for a candidate that at one time seemed the most formidable challenger to Mitt Romney and later Barack Obama.\n\n Mulvaney, an early Perry endorser and conservative freshman, was blunt about Perry's chances tonight, raising the (hopeful) prospect that the governor would come in fourth place with a bunched field splitting votes at the top. \"The real question for the Perry campaign is, if it's one, two, three, and then four, and four is a big drop off from third, then we're going to have some problems. If it's one, two, three, four and it's a big bunch then I think we're really in good shape. I think the most interesting race is for third and fourth place.\"\n\nPerry wasn't perfect. As one caucusgoer noted, at times he meandered and was light on the specifics. And he slathered the hushed-toned urgency like butter on Texas toast. But this was a decidedly different Perry than the inarticulate, spiraling Perry seen on television lately. He seemed relad, engaged, and even upbeat, free from whatever it was that held him back during his time as a frontrunner.\n\nBrownback said he'd watched Perry grow over the past month. \"You put him out here three months ago and he's going against the best in the business, that have been practicing for 20 years, and he doesn't look so good,\" Brownback said. \"And you're going, now wait a minute, think about that for two minutes. Give him some time, let him get he's sea legs. Let him take some swings. He's getting into it.\"\n\nMulvaney also said he could see improvements in Perry. \"I tell people back home who call me and say 'I like his policies, but boy, he's a lousy debater' I'm like: look! The whole process is designed to make the candidates get better.&amp;amp;#xC2; You've seen his performance improve dramatically in the last couple of debates ... I think he's getting to be a better and better candidate.\" Plus, he added, \"Some people are&amp;amp;#xC2; better when there's no time clock. He can just come in and work there's no expectations and sometimes that helps.\"\n\nStill, it probably won't matter much, because it's likely too late. Mulvaney seemed to acknowledge it. \"We won't know who wins the race, but we'll know who loses tonight,\" he said.\n\nFor more from the Iowa caucuses, follow @marincogan"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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