You have a good point. I'm not committing to Perry whatsoever is 2016. I don't agree with everything he says or does. I don't think he the smartest or dumbest politician, and I don't think he the most conservative. But, he's far from the worst. He's been at worst benign, and probably more likely pretty good good for Texas. That's what I want from my governor. If he has to moderate his tone for a particular business setting when he has to respond to hostile questioning - that's better than pissing everyone off when he's clearly not on the POTUS stump at that place and time. You can surely appreciate that if you are a Texan. If you're not, then I'm sure you'll have a different perspective.
My grading of Perry is as governor of the great state of Texas. His decisions have been oriented toward fighting his best for the benefit of Texas, not posturing for POTUS. Yes, in-state tuition will be a misunderstood issue on the national stage since no other state has as much illegal chaos to deal with (except maybe CA) and anything that mitigates the problems in a minimally negative way is worth pursuing. But, that's a FAR cry from La Raza amnesty as you mischaracterize it.
Many times Texans have told me that as a governor Perry has little control on ILLEGAL immigration, and that is true. But that would all change should he become president, and given what I know of his record I believe him to be pro-ILLEGAL alien. You can disagree if you'd like and I respect your opinion. But it is difficult if not impossible for me to believe that a man with a pro-ILLEGAL alien record would change course should he get elected to the highest office. It is my belief he is looking to take his pro-ILLEGAL alien strategy national, and I find that scary.