Perry ties Romney to Obama on environment

Carbon emissions is the topic, and Mitt Romney's past statements and record are the targets in this new web ad from Rick Perry's team.

I was talking about this with a plugged-in observer who thought it was awfully effective, but I said "meh" and the reason is that, I think, voters have pretty much come to think that you can wipe out everything Romney said or did prior to his first presidential run, and many are fine with that.

It's like the notoriously promiscuous St. Augustine before he was converted. He's not remembered for one-night stands in Carthage, but for exerting a profound influence on Christianity. For the past hundreds of years, Christianity has forgiven St. Augustine for those early years of wantonness.

For Romney, this carbon emissions thing is good and bad.

Bad, because it reinforces his image as a flip-flopper.

Good, because if he sustains attacks like this, it shows that his voters have truly come to grips with his past and maybe undecided ones can adopt the same, grudging acceptance that you can't hold Old Mitt against New Mitt.