No fan of Perry, but he plays his role well. Texas is a weak governor state, very unlike New Jersey where the government has great power.
He has got his friends in important places, and usually his friends are on the right side of issues. As for the future, conservatives had better worry more about Speraker of the House Straus, who has more power and is a liberal. To show how far left he is, his wife is a big player on Planned Parenthood.
As far as Perry goes he is a lightweight. I personally know political consultants that have been in the room with "W" and Cheney and they always referred to Rick Perry as "The Dumbass".