"It's remarkable that Perry is held up for ridicule not because he wants to shut down three or four essential government departments, but rather because he can't remember which three or four he wants to cut."

Paul, I wonder the extent to which that is the point.

Given the huge amounts of resources the monied interests behind Perry, Cain, etc., wield, I'd think that the could by a competent puppet if that was their goal, so I am left wondering what the point would be to run these jokers.

I have often thought that a big part of it is by taking such ridiculously extreme positions seriously simply shifts the center, but I can see how having these arguments get into the public discourse without being examined, because we're busy with the bozo espousing them, could certainly pay off in a long game.