From the Daily Beast: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, still looking to regain his traction after a series of mind-numbing debate performances (oh, and an awful job as governor), has let the world and Iowa know that he “wasn’t on his game” recently (make that the last four months) because of a serious back surgery he had undergone over the summer. The surgery had by his report wiped him out. “But no excuses,” he added, making as forceful an excuse as he could. Finally, the truth is out. I don’t make a habit of tooting my own horn in this space, but–just this one time–I first raised the health issue as the reason for Perry’s poor debate performances back in October. I blogged about this after the one of the early debates, how Perry looked uncomfortable, twisting his torso and struggling with his posture and seeming to lose energy as the debate went on. I wrote that Perry was off his game and attributed his  problems to his back operation and noted that he had started wearing orthopedic shoes instead of boots. (My post was picked up the next day in the “Political Wire” blog.) What the Daily Beast article omits is that the surgery, a spinal fusion, was not a standard operation; it involved the application of Perry’s own adult stem cells to the affected area–a procedure that is not covered by insurance, nor is it approved by the FDA. It borders on quackery. The question of how Perry is going to pay for the operation has not been answered; a spokesman said at the time that the Perry’s would pay for whatever is not covered by insurance. Well, NOTHING is covered by insurance. So, who paid for the operation? Where are the medical bills? It had to be very expensive. In November, the issue of Perry’s surgery came before the Texas Medical Board. From the Associated Press: The experimental stem cell procedure that Texas Gov. Rick Perry underwent this summer could be restricted or even blocked under new rules being considered Friday by the state’s Medical Board. Some top scientists are questioning the safety and wisdom of the procedure, and doctors say it may run up against federal rules. It also carries potential health threats, ranging from blood clots to increased cancer risk. The Republican presidential candidate had stem cells taken from fat in his own body, which were then grown in a lab. They were injected into Perry’s back and his bloodstream during an operation in July to fuse part of his spine. The Perry campaign has repeatedly denied that there is anything wrong with their candidate’s health. They weren’t telling the truth, and they only started telling the truth when Perry finally had a good debate performance in Iowa. No doubt the Perry campaign would like to go back and rewrite history, but it’s too late.