Rick Perry's Freudian Slip Shows

By Cernig

Rick Perry is the very model of a modern major Republican politico.

Gov. Rick Perry helped file paperwork Tuesday with the Republican Party of Texas putting Rudy Giuliani on the Texas ballot for the March 4 Republican primary.

He tumbled into an oh-my-goodness oops, though, after recapping his belief that Giuliani, who supports abortion rights, will still appoint strict constructionist judges to the U.S. Supreme Court — implying the kind that might restrict abortion. It was the kind of remark that could encourage anyone who’s thinking Perry has grown more aligned with Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and presidential aspirant lately surging in polls of Republican voters.

After describing Giuliani’s types of judicial appointees, Perry said: “The issue becomes very, very clear to me from the standpoint of who I want to support. And it is Mike Huckabee.

“And then it goes to the next level, which is who do we have who is the most electable of our candidates, and I think without a doubt it’s Rudy Giuliani.”

Informed that he’d thrown his support, ever briefly, to Huckabee, Perry said: “I’m sorry, I made an error. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”

Perry’s spokesman, Robert Black, said the Huckabee mention was a simple mistake and no indication of a secret Perry desire to shift candidates. Earlier, Perry had said he had no buyer’s remorse about leaping to Giuliani on Oct. 17 before Huckabee’s surge.

It's all there. The religious nutroots leanings, the wish to seem tough on (some) terror, the unprincipled calculations about being on the winning side and the half-assed denial issued through a spokesman that amounts to saying "I'm just stupid, I guess".

Mark my words, this guy wants to be the Republican nominee for President in 2012. And he will be.