If Rick Perry is taking his debate preparation seriously, as Politico says he must, then he’s prepped to the max for the inevitable question tonight on the anti-Mormonism of Robert Jeffress, the Baptist pastor who introduced him at the Values Voters conclave last weekend. Today, Mitt Romney pushed back harder than heretofore and called on Perry to repudiate Jeffress.
Repudiate the Pastor Maximus of First Baptist Dallas? Not in so many words. Not with white evangelicals already leery of the immigrant-coddling Texas governor as they search for a champion. Yet Perry needs to get the bigot monkey off his back. It will be interesting to see what his handlers have come up with. And whether he’s got the wherewithal to deliver it convincingly. I’m looking for something with “no religious test for office” in it.
Update: OK, so what do I know? The debate is all economy, all the time. And as of 8:34, Perry seems to have disappeared.
Later update: So the question will have to wait for another day–presuming Perry is still sufficiently alive after another dreadful debate performance to answer it.