I’m not seeing this as a particularly negative column. Quite the opposite. In a nutshell the column states that Perry appoints people he knows and trust to administer their individual departments or agencies. He does it out in the open. Sounds like smart management to me which is one of the major reasons Texas is in much better financial shape than most other states.
I was going to say essentially the same thing then I read your post. You said it so much better than I would have however. :-)