Ready the parachutes?

To quote myself in an earlier post, "It's possible that Rick Perry, an ex-Air Force pilot, has flown one sortie too many. And yes, campaign-wise, he's now struggling at the controls of a nose-diving plane that's clearly on fire. But don't write him off just yet." That remains the case, but now the flames are licking at the cockpit, he's taken another hit to the wing, his remaining engine is sputtering, and the crew is eyeing their parachutes. In the latest Washington Post poll, Mitt Romney has regained his lead among Republicans (25%) while Perry is tied with *Herman Cain* at 16%. This is the first tangible evidence that this Star of Texas is indeed fading. That said, there's still time for Perry to pull out of this nosedive and stage a comeback. McCain did it 2008. Still, the ground is coming up fast for Sky Captain Perry.