Thursday, September 8, 2011

It went mostly unnoticed that Governor Rick Perry pulled out of the recent "Freedom Forum" sponsored by Senator Jim Demint. Perhaps Labor Day festivities overshadowed the governor's decision to fly home to address the wildfires.

My question is, was he planning on putting on a firemen's suit and hosing the fires himself? Because anything short of playing Fireman Rick and I don't understand what he could do in Texas that he could not do from South Carolina.

Walking the thin line between satisfying the Tea Party and the moderate wing (if there still is a moderate wing) was more personally dangerous to the governor than the wildfires. Could the wildfires have been Fireman Rick's ticket out of town and out of fire?

It's easy being the unannounced candidate. Just ask Sarah Palin.

It is much more challenging being the announced candidate. Just asK Sarah Palin.

Sooner or later Governor Perry will have to answer many inconsistencies and many statements that fly in the face of conventional wisdom. He didn't want to do it on Tea Party Turf. He accepted the invitation and then accepted a viable way off of the stage.

On one hand he portrays himself as a big, strappin' Texan coming to the country's rescue. How can he rescue anyone if he is not present?

As president you may be able to run, but you certainly can't hide . . . for long.

Rick Perry needed to be more forthright about what fire he was actually fighting.