Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) will hit the ground running with
some very savvy political maneuvers this weekend, but Rep. Michele
Bachmann (R-MN) isn't planning to make it easy for him. While Perry's announcement
of his presidential bid on Saturday will likely wrest some media
attention away from the results of the Ames straw poll -- which Bachmann
has a good chance of winning -- Bachmann will be appearing right after
Perry at his first Iowa visit in her hometown of Waterloo, reports the New York Times.
"The
decision sets up the likelihood of a tense political moment featuring
the two potential rivals less than 24 hours after the Ames straw poll.
Mr. Perry, who is expected to confirm his intentions to run on Saturday,
was hardly subtle in his choice of Mrs. Bachmann's hometown, Waterloo,
for his Iowa debut. By appearing there, Mr. Perry was clearly signaling
that he is coming after her supporters in the state. But Mrs. Bachmann
is no shrinking violet, and her campaign quickly moved to counter his
appearance at the Black Hawk County Republican Party dinner with one of
her own."