Rick's campaign guy uses the word retarded... Kay's campaign scores first victory of entire campaign season...

Kay's campaign staffers have been so inept and fruitless in their efforts to shape the debate or rain on Rick's parade... but Sarah Palin's visit offered them a great opportunity, and they went for it.

This week Sarah Palin made some rather holier than thou comments about White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel telling liberal Democrats they are f-ing retarded for disagreeing with Obama on something...

It turns out that Kay's campaign was on a confidential conference call with the Medina campaign and Rick's campaign guy David Carney... and Carney did not like something that was said on the other line so he allegedly said it was retarded (link). Excerpt follows...

Sarah Palin might be coming to Texas this weekend to campaign for Rick Perry, but she's not happy with the governor's chief political adviser for his choice of words during a conference call. Dave Carney reportedly used the word "retarded" several times to critique arrangements in this month's first governor's debate sponsored by KERA. Palin's youngest son Trig has Down Syndrome. And Palin has written on her Facebook page that using the word "retarded" is "a slur on all God's children" with developmental disabilities.

Palin spokesman Meg Stapleton condemned the language as "disrespectful." But unlike Palin -- who demanded that Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel be fired for using the word during a closed-door meeting -- her aide didn't say Carney should lose his job. Word of what transpired during the conference call came from Kay Bailey Hutchison campaign manager Terry Sullivan.

UPDATE: The governor's campaign spokesman Mark Miner today agreed the comment was inappropriate. Said Miner: "It was an unfortunate choice of words and the governor is extremely disappointed." Palin has endorsed Perry. And on Sunday near Houston, she will join Perry for a campaign reelection rally expected to attract thousands of Palin fans.

There was no verification of this being said, only Kay's campaign allegations... but Rick's peeps owned up to it anyway which means it probably did happen... otherwise why say that the governor is extremely disappointed...?

Despite an alleged confidentiality agreement, Kay's campaign knew they had gold, so they successfully got the press to talk about it. Medina's campaign abided by the alleged agreement because they are amateurs... what negative could possibly come of breaking the confidentiality agreement? Not much compared to the positive Kay's peeps get out of it...

Other than maybe Kay's campaign manager not being trusted in a similar situation in a future campaign there was no reason not to say what happened on the call.

For once... Kay's campaign succeeded in knocking Rick off message. Unfortunately for them it is on an issue that will be here and gone this weekend...