That’s what he says. I’ll believe it when he files. This seems more like a sign of weakness than a sign of strength — an effort to remain relevant in the wake of his failures in the presidential race, as if he is trying to fend off potential opponents. If Perry is planning on running in 2016 — which I do believe — he can’t take the chance he might lose a race for governor. That would finish him as a presidential candidate. Not that he has a realistic chance of winning the presidency. I have expressed most of these opinions before, but if Perry is going to keep saying that he is running, it is important to recognize that he is speaking as a wounded and deeply flawed candidate who proved that the lack of respect for him over the years was well earned. The worst thing about the likelihood that Perry may run for president again is that it means he will put the state through another bloodbath in the 2013 session, as he did in 2011, throwing the school children and the sick and the frail under the bus in the name of conservatism. Before he talks about running, he needs to repair the damage he has inflicted on his brand. The way to do this, for a normal politician, is through good works. Perry doesn’t do good works. He revels in saying no. He immediately poured cold water on suggestions that he call a special session on school finance. In the middle of a horrible drought in the 2011 session, he refused entreaties to provide funding for the water plan — and, no, a few hundred million in bonds isn’t the answer. Perry’s strength is his understanding of his constituency. He knows they don’t care about school finance, or anything else having to do with governing. Old white guys don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the future.