Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry visits the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Aug. 15, 2011, where Perry spoke of "that big black cloud that hangs over America -- that debt, that is so monstrous." (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) Any incumbent wants to define his opponent before the opponent defines himself. The Obama campaign seems intent on painting Rick Perry as a Southern white racist -- a tired line of attack that is angering conservatives and inspiring them to rally behind Perry.
