Coyotes beware. Rick Perry’s in the hunt. For something or other.

Shortly after I all but anointed Jon Huntsman Jr. as the Great White Hope of the 2012 Republican presidential crop, up pops our own Texas Gov. Good Hair Perry everywhere lookin’ as if he is going to put his dung-covered cowboy boots in the race.

That’s right, Rick did it all because of me. He said: “I’m gonna get that s**t-bird reporter who suggested to my press guy during a visit to Fort Hood that I get photographed riding on a tank like Mike Dukakis.”

News has been mixed to say the least at Perry feeling out the GOP nomination trail.

“The field is already pretty full,” said Texas Mr. Republican Sen. John Cornyn. He praised Perry’s abilities, yadda, yadda, yadda, but he said he’d leave it up to Perry as to whether he should run.

I mean, read the whole thing in the Houston Chronicle, but the gist is that it doesn’t sound like Big Bad John is all in for Good Hair.

The man who was the de facto head of the Republican Party awhile back, Rush Limburger, wants Perry to run. That endorsement should be enough to make any sane man or woman stop and say: “Whoa, pardner!”

Of course, a lot of the Texas media want to go hit the national campaign trail even though they may be riding buses instead of flying on big old jet airliners.

Perry is beginning to look like one of those, albeit washed-up, television evangelists what with his all of a sudden turning on of religiosity. But Rick is the same old Rick he’s been since, at least he was, lieutenant governor. He is a slick Willie. Maybe he doesn’t cheat on his wife or text his private parts to young women but some of the things Perry has done — Google Rick Perry — make him more fit as a used car salesman (sorry, I didn’t mean to insult used car salesmen) than as governor and certainly as president. They shoot coyotes don’t they?

Perry might end up as the bookend to a Jon Huntsman Jr. ticket that I spoke of yesterday or whomever else might end up wearing the GOP throne. Let’s hope that will be the contribution Rick Perry makes to the national Republican effort, one as a VP candidate. Then, let’s hope and make an effort to ensure he and whomever he pairs with loses the race. And if the Republicans win and Rick Perry ends up vice president, maybe some prayers will be in order for that president’s continuing health.