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In 2012 Rick Perry is facing Republican opponents to his left and right then stiff Democratic opposition even if he survives to the general. Just like 2010.

Going into 2010, the conventional wisdom was that Rick Perry was a goner no matter how you looked at. In the Republican primary, he faced two main opponents: Kay Bailey Hutchison, the establishment favorite who was backed by the likes of Dick Cheney and even former President George H.W. Bush, and Debra Medina, the Tea Party candidate. Hutchison was beating the pants off Perry, 56-31, in a head-to-head race in August 2009. By the fall, Perry was leading Hutchison in polls, but Hutchison was still beating Perry in hypothetical match-ups against potential Democratic candidates. Perry was also being challenged on the right by Tea Party candidate, Debra Medina, and her candidacy was picking up steam through February of 2010.

Bill White, the ex-mayor of Houston and former Deputy Secretary of Energy under Bill Clinton, was the “[the Democratic Party's] best hope in years at winning the chief executive post” after winning the primary with 76% of the vote. While the Democrats were practically united, the Republicans had just experienced

…a bout between Perry and Hutchison in a clash unlike any GOP primary the state has seen since Republicans began taking over state government in the 1990s with the help of George W. Bush.

Just for good measure, in November 2009:

Texas voters aren’t well pleased with their elected leaders, particularly with the U.S. Congress: 71 percent said they “somewhat” or “strongly” disapprove of the job Congress is doing, and only 14 percent registered approval. A measly 2 percent approve strongly of the job Congress is doing.

The Texas Legislature fares somewhat better, getting good marks from 31 percent and bad marks from 36 percent. If you’re grading on the curve, that’s not too bad.

President Barack Obama’s performance gets approval from 41 percent of Texans, disapproval from 52 percent.

The locals? Perry’s favorables are lower than his unfavorables, 36 to 44 percent. Hutchison’s numbers are better, at 39 percent favorable and 27 percent unfavorable.

Is any of this starting to sound familiar? Obama’s current Gallup approval is at 42-51, and only 13% approve of Congress.

To Perry’s left in the Republican primary, Mitt Romney is Perry’s chief rival for the Republican nomination and leading Perry in hypothetical match-ups against Barack Obama. Karl Rove, former political advisor to President George W. Bush, is reportedly doing everything he can to scuttle Perry’s bid. Even also-ran Jon Huntsman has gotten into the game by going after Perry. Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann is trailing both men but she is battling Perry for TEA Party voters, and Rick Santorum has compared Perry to John Conyers – the corrupt Democratic congressman.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama is waiting in the wings while his staff is essentially telling Perry to “bring it on.”

So it’s not like Rick Perry hasn’t been here before, and how did things turn out in 2010?

For starters, Perry whalloped both Hutchison and Medina in the Republican primary. But the questions immediately began. The race between Perry and White was rated a toss-up, and Democrats were convinced that Perry was mortally wounded by the divise primary process – unable to attract either the most conservative or moderate Republicans, let alone independents and Democrats. But come November, Perry spanked White in the general election by a wider margin than the one by which Obama beat McCain in 2008.

Not too shabby. But running for president is different than running for governor, and Perry has never competed outside of Texas. It remains to be seen how well Perry’s particular brand of conservatism will play with the national electorate, but this battle is remarkably like the one he’s just been through. Can he win it again?