I do not know anything more than anyone else, and this is entirely supposition, but after watching a couple of years of interpersonal dynamics this scenario seems blatantly obvious to me.

If Rick Perry enters the race for president, it specifically and intentionally signals that Sarah Palin is not running.  PERIOD.

Sarah is frilliant on every possible political level, and these last 4 weeks are evidence of her strategic brilliance.  This keen instinctual intellect also is the reason she uses a logical statistical approach to her potential candidacy.  Sarah knows the challenge, she is politically savvy that way, she also knows the best approaches to turning around the negatives, or at least try to, she knows exactly what she is up against.   The media have painted a horribly false narrative and all keen insightful observers know this.  On this point, for Treepers, we are preaching to the choir, y’all know exactly what I mean.

Palin and Perry have a deep-rooted association and relationship built up from many years of respect for each other.   Both have known each other since they shared panels on energy policy, oil development, and oil sector discussions as key players within their states.  They were friends as governors, they are friends as political allies, they support each other, they campaign for each other.  etc.  etc.  etc.   Rick Perry is “THE” presidential candidate Palin would support.

Their camps are not disconnected.   There is a collaborative strategy at work here.  If Palin feels she can turn the false negatives and capture the optical advantage she will run.  However, in the event that she cannot turn the numbers, against the proverbial media tide, through brilliant self driven Public Relations, she will notify Perry to engage the enemy.   Palin ain’t going to back down until she is sure, but once she is sure she will support Perry albeit perhaps not immediately.

What say you?

*Update*  Allow me to clarify my disconnected thought.   Palin may enter the primary WITH Perry.  However, the endgame would not be for her to seek the candidacy.   She may enter the primary as a “blocker” to clear the path for Perry and bust through the opposition line by taking on the ire and providing a clear path toward the end-zone, but this will be part of a collaborative strategy.  Ultimately Palin pre-planning to drop out at a strategic point and throw her support behind Perry providing him with the support he would need to reach the nomination.