WASHINGTON -- Running for the 2008 GOP nomination, John McCain's campaign team pulled together 200 pages of dirt on his 2008 rival Mitt Romney, posted earlier by BuzzFeed. The document -- and its 399 references to Bain Capital -- may yet prove a treasure trove for journalists and Romney's challengers.
But the book doesn't quite match the thoroughness of the 500-pager on Gov. Rick Perry obtained by The Huffington Post. The Texas-sized tome was furnished by the super PAC Texans for America's Future created by Texas Democratic campaign consultant Jeff Rotkoff.
Who knows? It might be useful again one day.
It was originally made by Link Strategies for Perry's 2010 gubernatorial opponent Bill White (D). The book amounts to a deep dive on the governor's tenure. Its authors were prescient in their focus, providing thorough forensics of his Perry's job creation record and his personal wealth accrued through shady land deals, both of which have become notable issues in the 2012 campaign.
Some of this is old news. HuffPost has covered the land deals, and the job-creation record. And before Perry started talking about "vulture capitalism," there were stories on HuffPost -- and elsewhere -- on the governor's crony capitalism. But the book is worth a read as the best, obviously-slanted, document of the governor's decade in office.