No she won't! Yes he will!

Governor Rick Perry continues to train his orbital mind control lasers at Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison over her stated intention to run for Governor in 2010.

Dave Carney, Perry's longtime political consultant, told me the other day that Perry, who has said he'll seek a third full term in two years, is focused on raising millions of dollars and crafting a strong plan for a general-election showdown against a Democrat.

"Fundraising is the least of our problems," Carney said. "I'm anticipating an aggressive general election. I'm not anticipating a problem in the primary."

Carney said that until Hutchison does something beyond privately telling activists she's inclined to run for governor, skepticism should reign.

"Until she actually does something real -- resigns or runs -- people will always be skeptical because we've been down this road," Carney said, a reference to Hutchison's looks at running for guv in 2002 and 2006.

When I reminded Carney that at least a few Capitol observers doubt Perry will follow through with his declared plans to run again, he replied: "The political chattering class has this inability to believe anybody would say what they believe or what they plan. He absolutely is going to run."

What can I say? You just have to admire the craftsmanship. Say what you will about Rick Perry, he knows how to do FUD. And if it turns out that Kay Bailey is also saying what she plans, he'll turn on a dime to a different line of attack, as if he'd been doing it all along. The man can't govern worth a damn, but he sure can campaign.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on August 16, 2008 to Election 2010