If you live in Texas, you must be relieved that Rick Perry will no longer be your governor in 18 months.
"The time has come to pass on the mantle of leadership," Perry said in announcing his decision Monday.
He didn't rule out running for President again, but I doubt he'll do that.
He made a total fool of himself last time around, with bumbling performances in the primary debates, including the classic moment when he said he wanted to eliminate three cabinet agencies but then could remember only two of them.
The only good thing he said the whole time was about the need for comprehensive immigration reform and that Mitt Romney's "self-deportation" plan was not a solution.
But lately, he's been making a fool of himself again, going way out of his way to try to railroad through a nasty anti-abortion bill in the Texas legislature.
And after Wendy Davis courageously carried off her 10-hour filibuster, he made a derogatory comment about her being a single mom.
Nevertheless, when he made his retirement announcement, he highlighted his anti-abortion record.
"We have better protected the right to life for Texas children," Perry said in his speech Monday. "Texas is and will remain a pro-life, pro-family and pro-freedom state."
You can see that as a play for the social conservative vote in the 2016 primaries, but most Republicans aren't going to saddle up with Perry.
He's damaged goods.
"Governor Good Hair," as Molly Ivins used to call him, had a decent shot at beating the hapless Mitt Romney, but he wilted under the debate lights.
Next time around, Republicans and the wealthy donors who fund the party are more likely to go with Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, or -- God forbid! -- Scott Walker.
Perry's days are over.
If you liked this story by Matthew Rothschild, the editor of The Progressive magazine, check out his story A Shameful Supreme Court Ruling on Voting Rights.
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