Perry’s Rehabilitation Tour Seen as Start of New Campaign

“The Rick Perry national rehabilitation tour has begun,” the Dallas Morning News observes.

“If the Texas governor’s highly publicized, job-poaching trips to California and Illinois weren’t evidence that Perry is setting the stage for another run for president, last week’s trip to New York offered a blueprint how he hopes to fix his damaged political image. The governor bungled his White House bid last year, capped by an on-air “oops” moment when he couldn’t remember three agencies he vowed to abolish. But Perry insiders say he believes that if voters give him a second chance, they’ll be surprised that he’s not the dense, tongue-tied Texas cowboy he seemed to be in 2012. For one thing, Perry hopes to be better prepared, won’t be recovering from debilitating back surgery and faces pretty low expectations – so if he can just avoid mistakes, voters might think he’s not so bad after all.”