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At an event that looked and sounded a lot like the kickoff to a presidential campaign, Gov. Rick Perry announced that he won’t run for a fourth term in Texas.

After hyping his record for an eternity and claiming that Texas works because they have less government, less regulation, and taxation, Gov. Perry quoted the bible and former Longhorns coach Darrell Royal. Perry than announced that the “The time has come to pass on the mantle of leadership.” Perry promised to spend the next eighteen months leading Texas, and said that he would pray about his future.

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Perry said he wasn’t running for another term as governor, but the whole event looked, sounded, and felt like the kickoff of a presidential campaign. The problem for Perry is that much of what he said today sounded just like what he tried to sell as a presidential candidate last year. His record of success in Texas has already been widely challenged, and he seems to have little else to run on besides a slogan of, “Look at Texas. Isn’t it Great?”

It certainly looked like Perry was going to sink another toe into campaigning for the Republican nomination, but his national image as a world class idiot is already set in stone. Even though he probably could have won a fourth term as governor, his approval ratings haven’t been what they once were, so it seems that this governor has exceeded his sell by date.

Rick Perry is probably going to end his political career with second failed attempt at capturing the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. The GOP’s 2016 presidential field is likely to be crowded with senators like Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio potentially running. Paul Ryan could take a stab at it from the House, and governors like Scott Walker and Chris Christie are also mulling over their 2016 prospects. There isn’t much room in that field for Rick Perry.

Apparently, Rick Perry has no shame, because it looks like he is considering embarrassing himself on the stage again in 2016.