Mitt Romney last night attacked Newt Gingrich’s record and credibility for the second consecutive debate, aiming to win the Florida primary and the Republican presidential nomination. But in the process, he fudged elements of his own record that undercut his own credibility and fueled the type of criticism that may cost him the general election if not the nomination.

It was crystallized in one early moment, when moderator Wolf Blitzer noted the coarseness of the television ad wars in Florida and asked Romney what he meant in one radio ad that accused Gingrich of saying, “Spanish is the language of the ghetto.”

Romney, perhaps thinking of his own TV ads, replied: “I haven’t seen the ad, so I’m sorry. I don’t get to see all the TV ads. Did he say that?” Gingrich clarified that he never used those specific words. During a 2007 speech, he said, “We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and so they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto.”

The parent company of an electric car battery maker that received a $118 million grant from the Obama administration filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday. New York-based Ener1 said it has been affected by competition from China and other countries. Ener1 subsidiary EnerDel received a $118 million stimulus grant from the Energy Department in 2009, and Vice President Joe Biden visited the company's new battery plant in Indiana last year.

Ener1 is the third company to seek bankruptcy protection after receiving assistance from the Energy Department under the economic stimulus law. California solar panel maker Solyndra Inc. and Beacon Power, a Massachusetts energy-storage firm, declared bankruptcy last year. Solyndra received a $528 million federal loan, while Beacon Power got a $43 million loan guarantee.

Solyndra, of Fremont, Calif., was the first renewable-energy company to receive a loan guarantee under the 2009 stimulus law, and the Obama administration frequently touted it as a model for its clean energy program.

Sarah Palin accused President Obama of "scaring" the American people over the importance of raising the debt ceiling before the August 2 deadline. "Scaring the American people is exactly what President Obama is doing," Palin said Wednesday night on Fox News. "The president's getting pretty good at this fear mongering and trying to cram down the public's throat this idea of bigger government, more spending."

Although the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee said she respects House Speak John Boehner's efforts to negotiate with the president, she said there is a larger problem with his strategy. "The internal problem that he has is reinventing the wheel here in the 11th hour, when we already have Cut, Cap and Balance that passed the House, and we don't need to retreat now and wave a white flag," Palin said. Medvedev also warned that Moscow may opt out of the New START arms control deal with the United States and halt other arms control talks if the U.S. proceeds.

A Texas-sized rivalry is brewing in the Republican presidential contest. Texas Rep. Ron Paul is calling Texas Gov. Rick Perry "Al Gore's Texas cheerleader" for once working to help elect the Democrat. Perry's team, in turn, is branding Paul a turncoat for once leaving the GOP.

The back-and-forth between two Texans, who never have been particularly close, could spill over into Wednesday's debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., a memorial to the conservative who counseled fellow Republicans not to speak ill about one another. So far, neither Paul nor Perry is heeding that advice.

Over the past few weeks, both have seen their standing in the GOP field rise. Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican who has a strong legion of diehard supporters and a big bank account, came within 152 votes of winning an important test vote in Iowa.