THE SEPTEMBER GOP RUSH – AT 11:29 A.M. ET:  We are about to have an ultra-active political month, with the focus on the GOP race.  What happens in debates this month may well produce dramatic results, positive or negative, for several of the candidates:

WASHINGTON — The Republican race for the White House is about to accelerate dramatically, with a series of debates and events testing whether Rick Perry has staying power and Mitt Romney can keep focusing on the president instead of his GOP rivals.

September also may settle the field for good, with Sarah Palin perhaps deciding at last whether to run.

Perry, the Texas governor, jolted the party last month by leaping to the top of several national polls within days of joining the race. Now, three scheduled debates in 16 days, the first on Wednesday in California, will show how well he can stand alongside his competitors and field a range of questions.

That opening debate "will be most critical" for Perry because "it will be his first time out," said Terry Nelson, a campaign strategist who had worked for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, now out of the 2012 race.

Perry’s entrance has riveted political insiders and led to talk of how Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, should respond. It also siphoned off some of the buzz surrounding Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a tea party favorite previously considered by many observers to be Romney’s chief rival.

But GOP strategists warn that it’s very earl, and polls at this stage are often poor predictors of what’s to come in next year’s voting to pick a nominee.

"There’s movement all over the place," said Kevin Madden, an unpaid adviser to Romney and a veteran of several campaigns.

COMMENT:  Good summary.  There may well be more political attention directed toward the Wednesday debate than toward the president's speech on jobs before a joint session of Congress.  That may tell you somethijng about who's important right now. 

Obviously, we'll be watching intently on Wednesday.  The debate will be held at the Reagan Library in California, a reminder of the Republican Party's legacy. 

September 3, 2011