Perry alert: Governor says he's considering presidential bid

After proclaiming time after time that he has no interest in running for president, Texas Gov. Rick Perry told reporters this morning that he's now thinking about it.

The possibility of Perry seeking to follow the footsteps of his gubernatorial predecessor, George W. Bush, to the White House has been kicked around in political circles for years. The talk had gone into a state of near-hibernation until last week, when RealClearPolitics, an online journal, reported that Perry aides have been quietly making inquiries on Perry's behalf in advance of the 2012 presidential race.

In wake of that, Rush Limbaugh, widely considered the nation's most listened-to talk-radio host, gave the Texas governor a plug on his afternoon program by declaring that Perry is the Republicans' best hope to bring life to an anemic presidential field. Further, Limbaugh said, "He has great hair."

Perry persisted in saying he's focused strictly on his job as governor even in light of the burst of publicity that he got from Limbaugh. But now that the 140-day session of the Texas Legislature is about to wrap up, Perry changed his tune somewhat this morning with his comments about considering the race.

“I’m going to think about it.” Perry said.

Here's video of Perry's remarks, courtesy of the Texas Tribune:

 

-- John Gravois

Comments

[Steven]

I'm sssoooo surprised.