Rick Perry, a step up for the GOP?

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is the talk of the 2012 Republican presidential race at the moment but, according to a new Washington Post/ABC poll, he fares no better in a head-to-head matchup with President Obama than several longer-shot candidates in the field.

Perry trails Obama 53 percent to 40 percent among registered voters in a hypothetical 2012 matchup — a margin roughly equivalent to the 55 percent-to-40 percent edge Obama enjoys over Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and the 52 percent to 42 percent advantage he holds over Texas Rep. Ron Paul.