Cowboy up

Just a head's up: Yes, it's looking like Texas Governor Rick Perry will join the Republican field in the presidential race, perhaps as soon as Saturday. Sigh. Yet another dim, legend-in-his-own-mind personality to pay attention to. Why this Republican plague upon all our houses? Like Shakespeare's Mercutio, I too am nearly "sped." Indeed, I've recently mused about selling everything, buying a sailboat and heading to some Pacific garden spot like Tahiti or Bora Bora. It's a fantasy of course, but the deeper we get into Election 2012, the better the idea is looking. Anyway, here's Jon Chait's early take on Perry (read it and weep): "I think we're probably looking a a three-way Romney-Perry-Bachmann race. Perry holds the dominant position here -- he can expand into either Romney or Bachmann's support, while both of the others are pinned to one flank of the party. I think Romney, not Bachmann, has the most to lose. Perry is Romney without the weaknesses -- a tall, handsome, alpha male with extraordinary hair who fulfills the cinematic vision of a president. Perry has made his career doing exactly what his role calls out for him here -- knifing less-ideologically pure Republicans and playing to the party's id." The Extraordinary Hair Apparent, eh? Sigh. So whaddaya think? Should I go with the 26-foot sloop or just splurge for the 40-footer with the full Bermuda rig?

WANT MORE? Here's a smart, more comprehensive assessment of Perry by the New Republic's Ed Kilgore.