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Texas Gov. Rick Perry had a great debate on Nov. 22, 2011. Here are the Top 5 moments, with Rick Perry in his own words:

“ … states' rights, states’ rights, states' rights!” — Rick Perry at the Alamo, June 15, 2009 Until you get higher in the hills, Laconia might be considered the vortex of New Hampshire redneck politics, heavy into the Tea Party. The Lakes Region Tea Party is small but might be indicative of how things will go. A straw poll on Nov. 16 gave Newt Gingrich 49 percent while Cain tied with Ron Paul at 15. Romney 12 percent and Rick Perry 0. Similar results in a straw poll at a Republican club in Alabama on Saturday: Newt 45 percent, Cain...

Rick Perry followed his best debate performance with one of his best speeches on the campaign trail in Iowa. The GOP presidential candidate delivered the keynote address at the Scott County GOP’s Third Annual Reagan Dinner. Perry provided a preview of a new policy proposal that he will reveal today. “I’m going to unveil a plan to uproot all three branches of government and overhaul Washington,” Perry said. “It touches every branch of Washington.” One part of the plan that should hit home with many Iowa caucus goers is Perry’s ideas for the judiciary. “I’m going to address lifetime federal...

Lawmakers who've endorsed Rick Perry for president reacted warily to his plan for a part-time Congress and expressed concern about his proposal to cut their salaries in half. In response to inquiries from The Hill, the lawmakers disagreed with some aspects of the plan but said they liked other parts, such as the idea of spending more time in their districts. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) vowed to continue to stand by Perry, although he wasn’t necessarily on board with all of the Texas governor's plans. “I don’t anticipate that I’m going to agree with everything he says,” Inhofe said. At...

In his latest campaign ad, Texas Gov. Rick Perry calls himself an "outsider." "I want to force Congress to balance the budget, and if they don't, I say we cut their pay in half, send them home. Replacing one Washington insider with another won't change a thing. If you want an outsider who will overhaul Washington, then I'm your guy."

NEW YORK—Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry says President Barack Obama and his administration are responsible for policies that have endangered agents patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border. The Texas governor made his remarks while picking up an award from the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation. Perry said lack of funding and "bureaucratic bungling" in Washington have made the border less safe. He singled out one program in particular, Operation Fast and Furious. The arms-trafficking probe run by the Justice Department allowed AK-47s and other weapons to leak into the black market.

EU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed yesterday after banning drink manufacturers from claiming that water can prevent dehydration. EU officials concluded that, following a three-year investigation, there was no evidence to prove the previously undisputed fact. Producers of bottled water are now forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict, which comes into force in the UK next month. Last night, critics claimed the EU was at odds with both science and common sense. Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said: “This is stupidity writ...

WWW.RICKPERRY.ORG November 16, 2011 Dear Leader Pelosi, After reading about House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer’s outburst over my “Overhauling Washington” plan, I wonder if his obstructionism reflects your own opposition and that of the Democratic Caucus to urgent reforms the American people so vehemently demand. After increasing the debt by $4 trillion in less than three years, no one can believe that Americans are satisfied with business as usual, and that a permanent political class in Washington can get us out of the mess you and your colleagues have created. A part-time Congress with half the pay would still make...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has challenged the women conservatives love to hate — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — to a public debate next week. In a letter obtained by The Hill, Perry requested that the pair meet for a debate during Perry’s visit to Washington next week to compare the plan he rolled out this week to “Uproot and Overhaul Washington” with the current system. “I think it would be a tremendous service to the American public to see a public airing of those differences,” he wrote. “Let the people decide.” Perry’s challenge comes just days after his roll...

I guess Obama's home state is no longer part of his 57 states.

GARDEN GROVE (CBS) — An Albertson’s supermarket on Harbor Boulevard was evacuated Monday after a burglary suspect fell through the ceiling to the ground near a cash register. Police say around 9:30 p.m., a female shopper reported seeing a man’s leg descend from the ceiling before disappearing again. The customer then alerted the store’s manager, before the suspect suddenly came crashing to the ground by the checkout lane.

Rick Perry says Texas is the most successful state in America. He's right. Texan economic output exceeds Mexico's and Australia's and rivals India's. Rick Perry has been governor of Texas for nearly 11 years. Does the logic of politics lead us to conclude that the governor of the nation's most successful state, ipso facto, is the best man to be president of the economically gasping United States? We are about to find out. Getting lost, however, among the governor's adventures in the lovely hamlets of New Hampshire is that Texas, with or without him, has a story the rest of...

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 3 -- The Texas Democratic Party issued the following news release: According to data released by the Health and Human Services Department in October, retired teachers and retired state employees in Texas have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the early retirement provision of the health care law. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas received $70,629,796 from the feds to offer health insurance to early retirees, and the Employees Retirement system of Texas received $30,175,627. These two state entities are among the top 25 beneficiaries of this provision of the health care law in the country. More...

During an interview with CNN's John King on Thursday, the Texas governor said that expectations that U.S. authorities are going to arrest and deport up to 15 million undocumented immigrants isn't realistic.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry says America should extend work visas to allow illegal immigrants to move freely between the U.S. and their home countries _ but opposes a path to citizenship.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is sliding in the polls but he is not budging concerning his stance on college tuition for illegal immigrants in his state, according to New Hampshire's Union Leader. In an interview with the newspaper yesterday, Perry, who has come under attack from Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney for his position on the issue, defended the policy in Texas which permits some illegal immigrants to pay in-state college and university tuition. "We could kick these people to the curb and pick up their cost of being in our state through other sources, social programs up to and...

Former presidential candidate and current media mogul Steve Forbes said Thursday the Texas Republican governor Rick Perry is likely to capture the Republican presidential nomination. "He was good on taxes and spending in Texas; he was very good on tort reform. Texas has been a cesspool for injury lawyers, and he made major changes - and the proof of it was they all moved to Oklahoma. And obviously I like his ideas on a flat tax. I think he genuinely wants to get the thing done. So it seems to be a good combination," Mr. Forbes said in an interview...

Christopher Neil Bjerkness faces sentencing Nov. 29 in a felony burglary case after a plea agreement was reached Wednesday in St. Louis County District Court. Known as the "Ball Slasher," the 33-year-old Bjerkness originally pleaded not guilty to breaking into the Chester Creek Academy fitness center in May. Bjerkness has several previous convictions for breaking into facilities to slash exercise balls - an action described as a sexual fetish.

Barack Obama's new ally: Rick Perry By: Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin October 27, 2011 President Barack Obama’s political machine is increasingly making common cause with Texas Gov. Rick Perry against a shared enemy: Mitt Romney. Romney is the opponent Democrats most fear, and whom Obama strategists view as the near-certain Republican nominee. Yet even among strategists who assume Romney will be Obama’s opponent, Perry’s newly feisty performance on the campaign trail has raised hopes that he may drag out the primary fight and bloody Romney ahead of the main event. Obama supporters aren’t exactly coordinating attacks...

[embedded LINKS at source] Have you heard? “The government is subsidizing illegal immigration! The Texas DREAM Act grants amnesty! Illegal immigrants are going to college for FREE!” Hold your horses, folks. These statements, which are hurled at Gov. Rick Perry from both sides of the political spectrum, are simply not true. In-state tuition for illegal immigrants is a hard policy to argue because it rests on such a thin line between supporting education and rewarding law-breaking. Admittedly, the governor didn’t argue the case well when he said opponents of this policy “don’t have a heart.” (He’s since recanted that statement.)...