“‘It’s pretty interesting,’ Perry said when asked about all the national political stories being written about him. ‘People would like to have some other options in the race, obviously.’…

“‘I have a lot of out-of-state travel that some might analyze that ‘Oh he’s got a game plan and they’re implementing it.’ That’s not correct. There’s not a game plan,’ Perry said. ‘I’m giving it some thought. There are a lot of people calling and saying, ‘Hey, we would like you to consider getting into the race.”…

“Perry did give a tiny preview of what he’ll say tonight in New York, and it will come as no shock to Texans who have followed his stump speeches over the last 18 months. He will say that Texas is leading the way economically, citing figures from Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher, who said 38 percent of the jobs created since mid-2009 were in Texas. Perry will say that the figures are actually higher.

“‘They’re going to hear the success story of Texas and how that model can be replicated in their state,’ Perry said.”

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“Now what about Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R)? You can’t say there isn’t room in the race for him. But frankly, he’s going to have to fight for conservative votes with Bachmann, who seems more than capable of holding her own. Perry’s had a great record in Texas, while Bachmann has carried the Tea Party banner in the House. He’s got expertise on energy; she’s been through the federal budget wars. You can easily see them splitting the votes of party activists.

“So let’s say Bachmann and Perry divide up the hard-core conservatives. Does that still leave Romney in the driver’s seat, with Pawlenty not able to pull in the support and money that had been waiting on the sidelines? Perry deprives Pawlenty of supporters and cash; Bachmann siphons off voters from Perry.

“Romney, it’s fair to say, will have trouble winning against a single, unifying not-Romney candidate but with three contenders (Pawlenty, Bachmann, Perry), does he put together wins in some early states and cruise from there? It could be.”

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“This should be a fun meeting – Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani are set to have a private get-together Wednesday morning, sources tell us…

“Both men are considering running for president this cycle. But they have ties going back years – Perry strongly supported Giuliani in his 2008 run for president.”

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“Honestly, this governor from Texas looking to be president … seems a lot like the last governor from Texas looking to be president, in all the wrong ways.”

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Via Mediaite.

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