At last night's debate, it seems there was a bit of a mostly-verbal confrontation between Ron Paul and Rick Perry during a commercial break, which the Ron Paul people are in full-throated protest over. Via Mediaite:

According to Paul fansite RonPaul.com, here’s how it went down:

During a commercial break at Wednesday’s Republican debate, Rick Perry and Ron Paul continued their spirited exchange on stage. Suddenly, Perry grabbed Ron Paul’s forearm while aggressively pointing his index finger towards the Congressman’s face. Alerted by Perry’s menacing gestures, Ron Paul’s bodyguard (front left) was standing by, ready to protect the Congressman.

While it looks like it may have been a heated verbal exchange, I think it may be a tiny bit of hyperbole to call it "menacing." Whatever happened in that moment, rest assured there was no space between the media and the candidates, and if anything had happened that was remotely interesting, someone would have heard it. I know this because I had hoped to be able to stay in the main debate room just a bit longer than five minutes, and try and capture some of those off-camera moments. It would have been simple enough to do, had I been allowed to stay, but alas, I didn't have the right credentials and there were more cameras, reporters and other people in that room who did have them than you could shake a Texas-sized stick at.

Nevertheless, I was able to capture some of my own "caption this" images in the time I was there. I was in the main debate room for about five minutes when the candidates came out to the stage and were introduced. First Cain and Huntsman, then Paul, Perry and Romney. I caught this rather interesting picture of the three of them together.

Doesn't Perry look like he just ate raw meat for dinner? All snarly and ready to go, he was. Romney looked a little surprised he was standing there, and I guess Ron Paul was looking down for his bodyguard? Or maybe he was just talking to someone down in front.

Here's John Huntsman and Herman Cain, looking reverent:

There was a long pause -- and I DO mean long -- before Michele Bachmann made her entrance. She seems to have a thing for making delayed entrances, and yesterday was no exception. But finally she came onstage, with Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum following behind. How about these two as a Republican ticket?

Seems like Bachmann is a little more relaxed with Newt than she is with Romney. She has just a little bit of a gritted-teeth-wildeyed-fiery stare in this one.

In all of these pictures, some of the candidates seem to be missing something. That's right. A FLAG PIN. Who are these unpatriotic pretenders who think they can get away with showing up at the shrine of Republican politics without a flag pin? How dare Rick Perry wear a pin that puts the Texas star on TOP of the American flag?

I'll bet those flag pin slackers don't say the pledge of allegiance, either. When will the mainstream media ask them about it? When will we know the truth?