Seventeen Republican candidates started the run. So many that it was inevitable that a few would have to bow out early. Rick Perry, finding that he was no longer the darling of those who had funded his fumbles in 2012, picked September 11th to sneak out of the game, but he left a parting message. “We have a tremendous field — the best in a generation — so I step aside knowing our party is in good hands.” Perry’s words weren’t meant to be ironic.