Rick Perry drops out of the race, endorses Gingrich

You know it's gonna be a great day when the top headline on HuffPo is "Rick Rolled:" after finishing fifth in Iowa and last in New Hampshire, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is dropping out of the race ahead of the South Carolina primaries, CNN reports. He announced his decision at a press conference in North Charleston, South Carolina, at 11 a.m. EST.

During the press conference, Perry said that while he ran for President because he loved America, he no longer saw a "viable path" to the presidency, and he is withdrawing from the race because it was "time to make a strategic retreat." Perry also endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during his remarks, calling him "a conservative visionary who can transform our country." Earlier today, Politico reported that the two had a secret meeting to discuss the possibility of Perry's endorsement, with Gingrich apparently exchanging numerous texts with Perry campaign manager Joe Allbaugh.

Although Perry initially had a strong start in the race, his numbers had been steadily plummeting, and it was reported on Wednesday that recent polls showed only six-percent support for the candidate among voters in the South Carolina primary.  So let's take a moment to say "so long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye" to the Guvnah: it's been real, but in the Battle Royale-esque fight to the death that has been the GOP primaries, it seems your electronic collar has detonated fairly early in the game. I look forward to retrieving my eyes from the back of my head when I see you mispronouncing the term "judicial review" on Fox News.