I’m not talking about the governor’s race. I’m talking about whatever national ambitions Perry may have. If he ducks the debate, his fellow Republicans in Washington are going to take notice. No one is going to buy that Perry’s refusal to debate Bill White because White hadn’t complied with Perry’s demands to release all his taxes was a legitimate tactic. If Perry wants to play with the big boys, and I feel certain that he does, he is going to have to be involved in debates. His performances in the two debates against Hutchison and Medina were poor (#1) and generally solid (#2). He needs the practice.