This Friday morning, after a week of Herman Cain pressers and Rick Perry flubs, how did the evolving top tier of GOP contenders shake-up? Well, lets see: CBS News polling says it's down to three candidates right now with Cain still holding on to a slim lead, Mitt Romney trailing close behind and a somewhat real "surge" for Newt Gingrich. Cue a fast-talking, race track announcer voice:

[W]ith 18 percent, Herman Cain is in the top spot, followed by Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich with 15% each. Support for both Cain and Romney has declined since late last month, and Gingrich is the only one of the top three whose support is steadily - if slowly - on the upswing.

The Gingrich surge! Pundits have been waiting on that. But what about Rick Perry, the Texas governor that is everywhere on TV trying laugh away his painful debate performance? He's isn't seen in the CBS News write-up of the poll of the GOP's top-tier. Has he dropped that far? The CBS survey polled voters from last Sunday (when people were still making fun of Rick Perry's New Hampshire speech) to this Thursday (when everyone turned to his debate brain freeze). Perry, however, hasn't completely fallen off the map: the Real Clear Politics average of all polls places him fourth behind the new top tier.

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Erik Hayden