Don’t expect any Mitch Daniels-like concerns to keep Rick Perry out of the presidential race.  In an interview with Janet Mefferd on the Salem Radio Network (owned by Salem Communications, also Hot Air’s parent company), Perry told the audience that his wife is not only enthusiastically supporting the idea of a presidential bid, she’s inspiring it.  A former nurse, Anita Perry is “disheartened” about ObamaCare and the government intrusions into health care that have accelerated in this administration.  While Perry says that being governor of Texas is “one of the great jobs in the world,” he’s feeling the call to “get out of his comfort zone”:

This wasn’t on my radar screen, Janet. I was incredibly happy, comfortable where I was in Texas. Being the governor of Texas is one of the great jobs in the world. …

[Anita] has really been disheartened…by what she’s seen happen out of this Administration, healthcare-wise. Her father is an old country doctor, and she sees the demise of really quality healthcare and being able to take care of people like they need to be taken care of in this country and the innovations that have occurred in medicine. And we’ve got 27 and 24-year-old children. She sees this debt, this monumental debt that is being created that they’re going to have to deal with. And she sat down dome months ago and said listen…I know you’re comfortable being governor, but you need to get out of your comfort zone. You need to really look around and understand that our country is in trouble. And you may be the person that we have to have. …

I’m not there yet, I’m not ready to announce on your program. But as each day goes by, I get more comfortable that the direction I’m headed is the right direction.

Since it seems pretty clear that Perry wants to get into the race, the question has changed from if to when.  The time may be drawing a little too late to seriously contend in the Ames straw poll, but there will be a key, nationally-televised debate three days before the poll.  Senator Charles Grassley advises Perry to get into the race soon in order to keep Iowa in play:

Sen. Chuck Grassley said today that he received a “courtesy call” from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has been ever-more-openly contemplating a 2012 presidential run.

Grassley, in a conference call with reporters, didn’t disclose what Perry had to say, but wasn’t shy about repeating the advice he offered:

“I gave him the advice that if he’s going to run, he’d better run in Iowa and he’d better cover a lot of territory.”

He said that means you can’t just worry about Des Moines and expect to make an impact in the state of Iowa. “And I reminded him that Iowa made two previous presidents — at least two presidents — Obama and Carter.”

In other words, it really is time to get out of the comfort zone and into the game.