Rick Perry hops atop his religious podium; viability as prospective presidential candidate truly in doubt

CHURCH AND STATE: Rick Perry hops atop his religious podium. "While most of the announced Republican presidential candidates stumped in Iowa on Saturday ahead of next week’s straw poll, Perry designed and took to his own national stage: The Response, a Christian day of prayer and fasting that the Texas governor started organizing over a year ago, before starting to seriously consider a national run. But instead of running from the controversy sparked by the gathering, with a politically problematic list of speakers and complaints about the blurred line between church and state, Perry stepped to the podium to pray — while hitting the themes that would drive his presidential campaign." Surely Perry must recognise the political danger associated with such a jaunty exhibition of faith within the context of a presidential campaign, despite the fact that it mightn't faze his core constituency (and might even encourage its support). Without sounding to whiny, I'd like to point out that I had thought most of the world was past this sort of thing. Really? Your faith will 'define' any prospective presidential run? A dangerous game, he's playing; a dangerous game indeed.