Perry's distractions
Rick Perry isn't really being accused of anything in the Washington Post story about his lodge having been named "Niggerhead." It's a story about where he's from, more than anything else: Not that he's a racist, but that he's from a political place not deeply attuned to contemporary attitudes and sensitivities about race.
The story isn't disqualifying, or all that damning. It's distracting. And it is the latest in a series of distractions that make the key players at this stage in a primary campaign -- governors, big donors -- more open to Romney's arguments that the party should unite around him, pivot to confront Obama, and avoid an endless primary, because who knows what's going to fall out of Perry's bag next.
What Perry could use most is a big new revelation from Romney's past. (The Times's tax story, which goes deeper into the question on how Massachusetts raised its credit rating, helps.) The second thing is a huge quarterly finance number, and Perry has been notably focused on that particular campaign fundamental.