WASHINGTON – Rick Perry leads national polls in the Republican presidential primary, but he has been battered so much this month that if his third debate on Thursday night goes as roughly as his first two, he could be in some trouble.

Perry’s advantage over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has been cut roughly in half over the last two weeks. Attacks on him from Romney and other candidates have taken their toll, raising questions about whether Perry is as good as first advertised, and more importantly, whether he can beat President Obama in the general election.

“[The 2012 election] will be less about our nominee, as long as our nominee is not scary,” said a prominent Ohio Republican, who asked that he not be identified in order to speak more frankly about Perry’s weaknesses.

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