Is GOP Tiring Of The Palin/Perry Tease ?

Sarah Palin has been teasing Republican voters for quite a while now with her "Maybe I will, Maybe I won't" stance on the presidential campaign. This has allowed her to keep on raising money through her PAC because her supporters are hoping they are helping fund a presidential run, and it has also allowed her to dodge any debates or media interviews because she's not an official candidate.

Now Rick Perry is playing that same game. He's saw how well it is working for Palin (and like Palin, he doesn't do well with the media -- avoiding them like the plague in his last run for the governor's office). For about a month now he's allowed his aides to leak just enough "maybes" to keep people interested (he hopes).

But there are signs that the Republicans may be tiring of the cute political game Palin and Perry are playing -- at least the Iowa Republicans are. The Iowa GOP is having their political straw poll in about three weeks (August 13th) and they're getting a little peeved at the Perry/Palin duo. It seems they think if a person wants their support for the nomination, then they need to declare their candidacy and get themselves to Iowa and ask for support.

Since Perry and Palin have not declared themselves as candidates (and there is no real reason to think they even will do so), the Iowa Republicans have decided to leave them off the straw poll ballot. This won't help either one, as the Iowa straw poll is viewed as a good way for a candidate's campaign to get a nice boost. It looks like the Iowans are telling these two campaigns they need to make up their fickle minds or forget it altogether.

There are nine candidates who will be listed on the straw poll ballot. These include the six candidates who have paid $15,000 for a booth (which also gives them the right to make a speech). Those candidates are Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, and Thaddeus McCotter.

In addition to the six who have opted in fully for the straw poll, the Iowa GOP also has included three other candidates on the ballot because those candidates have declared their candidacy and have at least a modicum of support. They are Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and Newt Gingrich.

Three declared candidates were left off the ballot, ostensibly because they have failed to generate any support at all. They are Buddy Roemer, Gary Johnson, and Fred Karger (whoever the hell he is).