[fluffdaddy]

It is comically naive to think that immigration, of all things, could put paid to the Perry candidacy. The last three Republican nominations have gone to enthusiastic advocates of amnesty who routinely suggested that those who didn't share their views on immigration were racist. The idea that Rick Perry can't win after suggesting that it would be heartless to deny instate tuition at Texas universities to permanent resident illegals is just bizarre. The flap over instate tuition is a trivial distraction that can make some of us lose sight of the big picture for a while. It isn't going to determine the outcome of the primary process.

Many Conservatives are miffed about Perry's “no heart” remark. They'll get over it because they have no choice. Sane people don't make self-destructive decisions in a fit of personal pique. Backing any candidate currently in the race other than Governor Perry would be suicidal for conservatives.

Mitt is progressive and therefore a nonstarter. Nobody else in the field has either a presidential resume or a campaign organization capable of going all the way to the nomination. Congratulations to Herman Cain and Michelle Bachmann on their straw poll wins. Winning straw polls can boost your speaking fees in years to come and generate many other opportunities, but they can't help you win a nomination. Just ask Pat Robertson and Ron Paul.

Michelle Bachmann won the Ames poll and promptly sank without a trace. (Is she still a candidate?) Herman Cain may get some attention, but he too will sink. Like Bachmann he isn't really in the game. When serious voters cast serious votes they will overwhelmingly cast them for the serious candidates.

Barring a late entry, the real choice is Romney vs. Perry. You can gnash your teeth about that all you want. It won't change a thing. In the end you will have to decide whether you want to continue our bipartisan string of progressive presidents and perpetuate their failure or try something significantly different.

Romney is the status quo. Perry isn't. He may not be different enough to save us from decline, but he offers some hope. Romney offers none. We get to choose whether we just stay the course and go over the falls or take our one chance to avoid it. Anyone who chooses to go over the falls because they're offended that Perry called them heartless is a lunatic, and there aren't that many conservative lunatics.

So go ahead, throw a nice cathartic tantrum. Burn up the bandwidth with your rage. Go out and try to get another candidate in the race who might make it a genuine race. Then settle down and do the serious work of nominating an acceptable conservative (almost certainly Perry) and beating Obama.

[Fawn]

Perry offers some hope alright. For amnesty and funding illegals health care, schooling...who knows....housing, transportation and most of all VOTING RIGHTS! ROMNEY is the best candidate so far.

[reaganaut]

Perry proved he is not an ‘acceptable conservative’. How about getting behind a real candidate.