Perry to make his first announcement

Jeff Zeleny:

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is preparing to make clear his intentions to join the Republican presidential race, two associates said, by visiting South Carolina and New Hampshire on Saturday — the same day several of his potential rivals are taking part in the Iowa Straw Poll.

Mr. Perry, who has been inching closer to declaring his candidacy for weeks, is expected to stop short of making a formal announcement. But appearing before Republican crowds in the two early-voting states was intended to clear up any lingering questions about his plans.

On Twitter, Matt Ortega points out that Tim Pawlenty himself made no less than eight announcements, with the media treating each one as news. I'd hazard that Rick Perry is likely to get the benefit of at least two to three presidential campaign announcements.