Any doubt I had about him being anything more than a stalking horse for Romney has just been removed.
Any doubt that you ever had a thought about the candidates other then blind adoration for Perry was removed by that statement.
Except that Cain was running well before Perry. Perry entered the race at the behest of the wealthy establishment Republicans because of their deep fear that a true conservative could possibly win the nomination. They are deathly afraid of anyone like Bachmann or Cain. Perry is there to get enough votes to insure Romney's nomination. It is a battle, just like 2008, between the establishment elite, those that helped get us into the mess we're in and conservatives, those who offer the only chance of getting us out of the mess we're in. Romney is Guiliani and Perry is McCain, in fact Perry and McCain share many similarities like being soft on illegal invaders.
Can you really see Perry doing anything bold to turn things around? Of course not, he's not a "turnaround" expert, he's a career politician, master of crony capitalism. Cain, on the other hand, is a "turnaround" expert and has already offered bold ideas. He is not bound by any favors he owes.
The choice will become starker as the campaign progresses, bold leadership with straight talking Cain or status quo with establishment Perry/Romney. From what I have seen of Tea Party conservatives, the choice will be easy for them.