A Texas columnist proposes an odd combination, which is plausible because Rick Perry endorsed Rudy Guiliani in 2008:

Bloggers and other chatterers are already writing and talking about a Perry-Giuliani ticket, one of those balanced-ballot concoctions that asks the political diners if they’d like some octopus on the plate to offset the sweetness of the strawberries. Sometimes a strange pairing works — try praline bacon at Elizabeth’s next time you’re in New Orleans — while sometimes it merely alarms the diners.

Everybody in the presidential race is trying to pick off voters, and every contestant has some appeal. Michele Bachmann is after the Tea Party folk and social conservatives. Ron Paul wrote the handbook for small-government conservatives. Rick Santorum is after the social conservatives. Each can be expected to shoot at Mr. Perry or anyone who comes poaching for votes. Their ammunition will be anything that attaches to the opposition that is offensive to those voters.

It’s a two-step. First, attach Mr. Perry to Mr. Giuliani. Second, use Mr. Giuliani’s positions to raise doubts about Mr. Perry’s.

They can couple it with Mr. Perry’s own goofs, starting with his states’ rights flip-flop.

But it could work the other way, too. Rick-Rudy bumper stickers, anyone?