Slick Rick

Rick Perry has proved again that, despite the herculean efforts of Herman Cain, he is still the most gaffe-prone politician in the Republican race. If you haven’t seen it, do watch the embarrassing clip of the man they call ‘Bush without the brains’, above, which Alex also posted earlier. As Rod Dreher put it last night, take Perry’s recent campaign fund haul of $17 million, divide it by 53 seconds, and what you are seeing is a man burning through about $321,000 a second.

We shouldn’t be too quick to condemn Perry, though. Which of us has not had a humiliating memory lapse? And despite what Alex and Rod say, it might not even harm his chances. American conservatives are a forgiving bunch. Endorsing Al Gore in 1998, as Perry did, is in their eyes a greater sin than his not being able to recall which department of government he wants to destroy.