Texas Governor Rick Perry hasn't even officially entered the race yet, but per Ben Smith he appears to be the neocon candidate of choice just based on whom he's taking advice from:
Perry's aides have been tight-lipped about the gathering, which National Review reported included former Rumsfeld aides Doug Feith, Daniel Fata, and William Luti, as well as the magazine's Andrew McCarthy and others . But I'm told Rumsfeld helped steer Perry's staff to the low-key advisory group.
Despite his tensions with Bush, this slate of advisers suggests Perry would be the candidate most likely to inherit the former president's foreign policy views. None of the other candidates' foreign policy braintrusts come close to this kind of continuity.
I find it fascinating that McCarthy of all people, is seen as someone to take policy advice from despite his flogging of absurd conspiracy theories, including the idea that President Obama is covert agent of the Muslim Brotherhood. I wonder if Perry does enter the race, whether we'll see him attack the president along those lines.
