by Zoë Pollock

John Heilemann spots an upside to Perry's entry:

What was needed ... was a clear contest between the Establishment and tea-vangelical wings of the party. ... What [Perry] brings to the race is a welcome clarity, and the prospect of a kind of challenge to Romney that has been lacking until now. How Romney handles that challenge will tell us all we need to know about him. And how the Republican electorate ultimately judges them will tell us everything we need to know about the party.

And, on cue, Perry surges ahead in Iowa. Alex Roarty and Beth Reinhard shed light on Romney's hands-off approach: