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Full title: Perry: "I Don't Think You Have a Heart" If You Oppose In-State Tuition for Children of Illegal Immigrants Perry's response was forceful and personal. "I don't think you have a heart," Perry told his critics. "If you say that we should not educate children who come into our state for no other reason than that they've been brought their through no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart," Perry said. "We need to be educating these children because they will become a drag on our society. I think that's what Texans wanted to do....

My good friends John Hinderaker and Scott Johnson offer eulogies for the Tim Pawlenty presidential campaign today at Power Line, and as usual, they are quite insightful. Scott says that Pawlenty’s descent started when he backed down from challenging Mitt Romney in an earlier debate, and notes that Republicans in this cycle want a fighter. John laments the loss of the one candidate he thought could easily beat Barack Obama based on his record, and says that Pawlenty never got past “the first impression of him as just another guy in a suit.” Both are fair conclusions, and be sure...

.......Perry, who served with Pawlenty on the executive council of the Republican Governors Association working to elect more Republican governors across the country, said they had traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan together and "spent a lot of quality personal time." "He is one of my favorite governors out there, not only because of what a Republican governor did in a pretty blue state, but also in a personal way. He is one of the funniest guys I've ever been around in my life and I just love him," Perry said, adding that they often "joke and poke each other." Perry...

Jul 20, 2011 — Will the Texas governor elbow his way into the crowded presidential race? Longtime Perry watcher Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune talks about why he thinks Perry will run and what kind of candidate he'd be. [snip] We spoke with the Texas Tribune's Evan Smith about the man he has followed since the early 1990s. A former editor of Texas Monthly magazine, Smith says he's convinced Perry will make a run at the White House, and tells us why other Republican hopefuls should be worried.

John King CNN interview: 5:19 minute video: Could Rick Perry shake up GOP W.H. race?GUESTS: Erick Erickson [Red State] and Mimi Swartz [Texas Monthly] discuss the potential presidential candidacy of Texas Gov. Rick Perry.Swartz: “Formidable campaigner. People on the East Coast underestimate him at their peril. He’s relentless. Perry will fight to the death if he wants this.” King: If he gets in, who gets hurt? Erickson: Pawleny has most to lose. Bachman loses. Hurts Romney -- explains in detail. Palin and Giuliani won’t get in if Perry gets in. Swartz: quoting another pundit re: Bush/Perry -- Bush aristocratic –...

.......The conventional wisdom has been that a sizeable portion of the party’s base wants to defeat Romney. Rather, the Republicans interviewed said, many in the party are satisfied with Romney but waiting to see if a stronger candidate emerges. “People are for him in the same way they were for Bob Dole” in 1996, said Tom Perdue, a longtime Georgia strategist. “They’re for him, but they’re looking far over their shoulder hoping somebody else is going to step up.” He said that some major Atlanta donors backing Romney have told Perdue privately that they would “jump ship really fast” if...

Scott said he talks to his counterpart every two to three weeks. Florida Gov. Rick Scott: State jobless rate: 10.6 percent; Texas Gov. Rick Perry: State jobless rate: 8 percent. Florida Gov. Rick Scott: 7,000+ jobs lost at Kennedy Space Center due to shuttle end; Texas Gov. Rick Perry: 4,100 jobs lost at Johnson Space Center in Houston. [Obama is killing jobs in both Florida and Texas] Florida Gov. Rick Scott: Was a co-owner of the Texas Rangers; Texas Gov. Rick Perry: Dispatched Texas Rangers to protect U.S. border. Florida Gov. Rick Scott: Led the nation in job creation in...

If Rick Perry does mount a successful bid for the U.S. presidency, it will be interesting to see whether he can translate his past and present criticisms of the federal government into concrete changes to the sprawling bureaucracy. Perry has yet to say he will or won’t toss his hat into the Republican race for the right to square off against President Barack Obama in 2012. He is, however, making all the moves of a potential candidate testing the waters. Insiders are mixed on the odds. Some say he’s definitely in; others put the odds at 50-50. But the mere...

WASHINGTON — Rick Perry is the 100 million dollar man of Texas politics. Over the past decade, he has been a political money machine, raising more than $100 million for three gubernatorial campaigns and another $50 million for GOP candidates as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2007-2008. But the Texas governor's fundraising prowess will be tested as never before if he runs for president in 2012. While he's raised more campaign cash than anybody not named Bush in Texas history, Perry faces different rules and greater demands should he set his sights on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. "In order...

A number of Pro-Perry articles have been posted today, with some comments saying "no, no, no". Here's the other side of the coin.Supporters of Texas Governor Rick Perry are not going to like this article at all. Right now, Republicans all over the United States are touting Rick Perry as the "Republican messiah" that is going to come charging in to save America from the presidency of Barack Obama. Many believe that if Rick Perry enters the race, he will instantly become the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Perry certainly looks the part and he knows how...