Perry's (Unofficially) In [Politics]

After months of "no, no" and a few weeks of "well, maybe," Rick Perry appears ready to give it up for Jesus and the United States. In an interview with Mark Halperin of Time Magazine, slated to run in its entirety in the next issue, Perry said today that he feels comfortable with the idea of running for president:

Yeah. I’m kind of getting to the haul-in point, and the idea that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I mean, this is starting to get to that comfort level, and I’ve got the calmness in my heart. I think that was a bit of a hurdle initially, but I’m very calm in my heart that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

In the interest of accuracy, however, we must note that the governor stopped short of an definitive declaration. According to insiders, he's expected to announce during his scheduled remarks Saturday at the 2011 Red State Gathering in Charleston, South Carolina. And by "announce," we mean "drop a strong hint". Seriously.

A firmer declaration of intent will probably come Sunday in Iowa, when Perry is supposed to speak at a Blackhawk County GOP event in Waterloo on Sunday. That would be the day after the Iowa straw poll.

All of which begs the question: What the hell is this protracted political striptease all about? A Rick Perry donor told the Houston Chronicle that the governor is "ready to pull the trigger" so to speak, but is using the ongoing buzz to steal the other primary candidates' media thunder.

In the meantime, Sarah Palin, another non-candidate candidate, is also headed to Iowa. Palin will be attending the State Fair in Des Moines as part of her on-again, off-again "One Nation Tour." Both Palin and Perry have large, active contingencies of supporters--and both are media savvy, adept campaigners. Can we expect to see "Perry-Palin 2012" bumper stickers? Pass the popcorn and buckle your seatbelts, kids. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.