Perry Swipes At Romney In Iowa

Rick Perry has been taking direct swipes at Mitt Romney during his most recent appearances in Iowa. This is intriguing in two aspects.

One, it means that Perry isn't worried about receiving a serious challenge from Michele Bachmann in Iowa, despite Bachmann's win in the state's GOP straw poll. Nationally, the GOP race is between Perry and Romney. Perry knows that anything said in Iowa is reported nationwide and so he is using his national megaphone.

Second, Perry knows any political attack that goes unanswered becomes a truth. Romney is not spending much time in Iowa. That leaves an unobstructed path into the hearts of Iowa voters for Perry. Romney can't respond from New Hampshire--that would just look odd to activists in both states. 

I'll be looking over the next several weeks for Romney to step up his campaign schedule in Iowa. He does need to have a significant showing in the Hawkeye State, even if he is not going to win it. And he needs to be responding to Perry attacks in Iowa so that the response appears in the national media.