Free Republic

Gov. Rick Perry, a no-apologies conservative known for slashing government spending and opposing all tax increases, is about as Republican as you can get. But that wasn’t always the case. Perry spent his first six years in politics as a Democrat, in a somewhat forgotten history that is sure to be revived and scrutinized by Republican opponents if he decides to run for president. A raging liberal he was not. Elected to represent a slice of rural West Texas in the state House of Representatives in 1984, Perry, a young rancher and cotton farmer, gained an early reputation as a...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have forgotten a thing or two about the Al Gore presidential campaign he helped lead in 1988. In an interview with an Iowa radio station on Monday, the Republican presidential contender explained his role as the Gore campaign’s Texas chairman by saying that “this was Al Gore before he invented the Internet and got to be Mr. Global Warming.”

1 pm EDT -- moments from now -- awaiting Perry speech announcing he is officially running for president

WASHINGTON – Texas Gov. Rick Perry , promoting a new book about the dangers of federal bloat, said today that George W. Bush’s presidency was marred by the same sort of “big government” mentality that voters rejected in last week’s GOP landslide. Perry predicted that history will judge Bush kindly “but it won’t be based on fiscal issues. It’ll be based on his keeping us free and keeping us safe.... “He may go down as more than a good president, even above that. But at the same time I think they missed some opportunities to send some good messages to...