On HPV, Palin Makes First Overt Attack on Perry

From the New York Times: On HPV, Palin Makes First Overt Attack on Perry

Sarah Palin might have sounded like an ally of Representative Michele Bachmann on Monday night when she assailed an executive order in Texas mandating that girls receive the HPV vaccine, calling it a possible product of “crony capitalism.”

But, as Ms. Palin continues to consider her own presidential bid, the comments could also be interpreted as her first overt attack on Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, the man who signed the 2007 order -– a move he later withdrew and was forced to defend at the Republican debate on Monday night.

“I knew even at that time something was up with that issue,” Ms. Palin said on Fox News after the debate, noting that Mr. Perry’s former chief of staff had ties to Merck, the company that manufactures the Gardasil vaccine. “And now we’re finding out, yeah, something was up with that issue. It was an illustration or a bit of evidence of some crony capitalism.”

All three politicians – Ms. Palin, Mrs. Bachmann and Mr. Perry – would need to rely on both social conservatives and Tea Party activists to win the G.O.P. nomination. So it’s not hard to see why the issue is proving appealing fodder for the two women. They can use it to undermine Mr. Perry’s credibility with social conservatives by noting that he would have required girls under 12 to be inoculated against the virus that causes cervical cancer, which is generally transmitted sexually. And the argument that his move was influenced by donations and ties to lobbyists appeals to Tea Party supporters skeptical of government authority and backroom political dealing.

When Ms. Palin first used the term “crony capitalism” in a speech in Iowa this month to describe generally the process by which lawmakers become wealthy by using taxpayer dollars to benefit corporations and donors, she would not say whether her comments were directed at Mr. Perry.

In fact, up to this point, Ms. Palin had resisted directly criticizing Mr. Perry. Last year, she campaigned for Mr. Perry as he fought back a challenge from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in the Republican primary for governor. In January 2010, she posted a note on Facebook saying she looked forward to supporting him and other candidates “so they can continue to fight for our American values.” (The other two she mentioned by name, by the way, were Senator John McCain and Mrs. Bachmann.)

During that race Ms. Palin said Mr. Perry “walks the walk of a true conservative,” and the two are thought to have a cordial relationship off the campaign trail.

Up to this point in the Republican race, Ms. Palin has called Mr. Perry a “fine candidate” and defended him after he called the policies of the Federal Reserve shairman, Ben S. Bernanke, “treasonous,” saying that Mr. Perry was “voicing great concerns that many of us share.”

And during a recent trip to Iowa, when asked to contrast their records as governor, Ms. Palin declined, noting that Texas has a weak executive office.

“That doesn’t mean he’s doing a better job or worse job than any other governor, including myself,” said Ms. Palin, the former governor of Alaska.

Mrs. Bachmann is taking the “crony capitalist” line and running with it. We’re still waiting to see whether Ms. Palin lets Mrs. Bachmann continue to be the sole beneficiary, or if she’ll start using the phrase in her own campaign.