Rick Perry Is Definitely Staying in the Race

After a fifth-place finish in Iowa last night, there were reports that Texas Gov. Rick Perry was suspending his campaign and returning to Texas to mope/"assess" his campaign instead of continuing the fight. But Perry's official twitter suggests a new burst of optimism. About an hour ago, the governor or his approximation tweeted:

And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State…Here we come South Carolina!!!

This photo was also included. Observe Perry dressed to run (get it?!) and standing confidently by himself by a lake in the middle of nowhere. He's rustic, he's decisive, he's not dropping out yet.

National Journal also said an anonymous Republican official assured them that Perry is still in the race, he's just taking a Texas breather.

[Updated] Politico says it's official:

Perry campaign manager Joe Allbaugh confirmed to POLITICO that the governor is going forward.

"Staying," Allbaugh wrote in an email when asked if Perry was remaining in the race.

A source close to Perry said he decided to make a stand in South Carolina because "he is not a quitter and really is the only true conservative in the race."

Reason on Perry, including his fair weather-federalism, his stance on the death penalty, his wild stabs at pandering to the gay-haters, and his general inability to form a sentence.

Not to mention Reason's candidate dating quiz, including the governor's profile.

Once more, before it becomes totally irrelevant, Perry's attempt at appealing to the types of folks who almost gave Rick Santorum a win last night, below. Also, The Atlantic on how each caucus vote cost Perry $480.