When Perry says he may run for president in 2016, the first thing that comes to mind is that the job will be not be open if Obama loses in 2012. If a Republican wins in 2012–Romney, Santorum, whoever–the job will not be available, because the Republican incumbent will presumably be running for reelection, and Perry will have to wait until 2020. In effect, when Perry says he is running for president in four years, he is essentially saying that he expects for Obama to win in 2012 and for the Republican nominee to lose. Otherwise, he would be challenging an incumbent Republican president in 2016. He’s depressing the turnout of his own party.