Rick Perry defends the absurdly racist name of his hunting camp

Poor Rick Perry. He just can't seem to catch a break these days, what with his fellow conservatives turning on him, Obama taking jabs at his wildfire problem, and now people taking issue with the super-racist name of his hunting camp, even though in the several decades he's been going to the camp it's not like he ever actually condoned the name or anything like that! 

You see, the Washington Post wrote this weekend of Perry's idyllic family-vacation spot, where over the years he's been fond of taking political guests:

In the early years of his political career, Rick Perry began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at his family’s secluded West Texas hunting camp, a place known by the name painted in block letters across a large, flat rock standing upright at its gated entrance.

“Niggerhead,” it read.

Oof. For his part, Perry claims that he and his father got rid of the sign shortly after taking over the property and calls reports to the contrary "incorrect, inconsistent, and anonymous." The only issue with that is the numerous witnesses quoted in the post who recall seeing the sign on a number of occasions over the years, and a general account of its longevity as an offensive local fixture:

The name of this particular parcel did not change for years after it became associated with Rick Perry, first as a private citizen, then as a state official and finally as Texas governor. Some locals still call it that. As recently as this summer, the slablike rock — lying flat, the name still faintly visible beneath a coat of white paint — remained by the gated entrance to the camp.

Meanwhile, Herman Cain has already slammed Perry as "just plain insensitive" over the incident, and moderate Republicans everywhere are pouring themselves drinks and weeping quietly.