Texas Gov. Rick Perry ended his campaign for president today and endorsed Newt Gingrich as the best conservative to take on President Obama in the fall.
David Goldman, AP
Texas Gov. Rick Perry announces the end of his presidential campaign in North Charleston, S.C., on Thursday as his son, Griffin, and wife, Anita, look on.
Perry's departure two days before the South Carolina primary leaves four candidates vying for the GOP nomination.
"Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?" Perry said. "There is forgiveness for those who seek God. I have no question that Newt Gingrich has the heart of a conservative reformer" and "the ability to rally and captivate the conservative movement."
Rich Mitchell made this comment yesterday in this post:
Can’t we ask “What reasons does this candidate give me to vote for him or her” instead of stating the reasons we hate the others?
I’m certainly guilty of both. I’ve spent some time detailing reasons to mistrust Newt Gingrich, based on his record and his stated plans, as well as Mitt Romney and Herman Cain (though Cain is now out of the race). I’ve also penned a brief synopsis of reasons to get behind Rick Perry (my candidate).
Rich also had this to say:
(…) it’s obvious – we don’t know how to love our candidate.
While I’m usually the “don’t love a politician” sort, I get the message. So, here it is, ten reasons to love Rick Perry (in no particular order):
1) Using the Federal Reserve for political purposes is “treason“- I agree (as do all other sound-money folks). Devaluing our money for pretended short-term benefits undoubtedly harms our nation’s economic security.
2) He gets the concept of individual rights trumping state authority. Let me cite a few examples:
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is the first Republican presidential candidate to speak out against allegations that members of Congress used insider information for personal gain.
In a video posted to YouTube, Perry says "any congressman or senator that uses their insider knowledge to profit in the stock market ought to be sent to jail — period."
Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement on the recently released International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report:
“The new IAEA report is the latest indicator that the regime in Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability. Evidence that this includes work on a nuclear warhead design is particularly alarming – and again puts the lie to Tehran’s claim that its nuclear program is for peaceful, energy-related purposes.
“President Obama’s policy on Iran, based on outreach and limited sanctions, has failed. This administration has labored under the misconception that Iran’s nuclear program could be negotiated away. But the plain truth revealed in the IAEA report is that despite years of negotiations, Tehran’s relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons continues.
“A nuclear-armed Iran would pose grave threats to not only American interests abroad, but also to our security at home. Iranian misconduct has met with little if any response from the Obama administration, and has included targeting Americans in Iraq and throughout the Middle East, supporting terrorist groups, threatening our allies, and even plotting to assassinate a foreign ambassador in Washington, D.C.
“This activity will only increase if Tehran obtains a nuclear weapon and feels it has impunity to act as it pleases.