So said Rick Perry last night at the Huckabee forum last night (H/t: Dan Riehl on twitter). More:
“I’ve lived a purpose-driven life, and my purpose was never to be the President of the United States, but our country is in trouble and our country needs us working together to take our country back. So I hope, again, that you’ll take a look at my plan and give me that second opportunity,” Rick Perry said at the Huckabee Presidential Forum on FOX News. “I’ll promise you this. That every day I will work to make Washington, D,C, as inconsequential in your life as I can. God bless you. Thank you for your support and your vote.”
Imagine, a man who feels called to serve. He isn’t the perfect candidate. Is there such thing? But he’s my 75% solution, and that’s a lot better than having to convince myself that he’s a different man. Bryan Preston:
For all of Rick Perry’s flaws as a debater and his various verbal miscues, he’s never said or done anything that would make me question whether the man is worthy of my support. There are no lingering doubts about whether I’ll live to regret the day decided to support him as the Republican nominee. I don’t have to rationalize my decision to advocate on Rick Perry’s behalf. I don’t have to convince myself that he’s a changed man in order to feel good about my choice.
Exactly.
A friend asked me how I could support Perry, an evangelical, rather than Newt, a Catholic. Easy-peasy. Newt converted–not a problem–after divorcing not wife number one, but number two, with the gal he diddled while pointing the finger at Clinton for doing the same. Not so much. I don’t need a President who likes who hear himself talk and who can excuse his past behavior as an aside. Catholic or no.
Jazz Shaw at Hot Air says Perry had a good night–good enough to be one of the bright spots of the evening.
Politicaljunkie Mom 
It’s rather convenient Newt found God now that he’s running for president. I certainly hope he’s “come to Jesus” as they say, but that’s between him and God. What’s a voter supposed to do at this point, throw out forty years of marital infidelity and home wrecking?
Frankly Newt is a clown. There is dysfunction everywhere he goes. It was his own Republican fellow House members that threw Newt out of the Speakership. Everyone talks about all the ideas he comes up with. Well, he comes up with a heck of a lot of preposterous ideas too. He is incapable of holding anything back. He has to show how smart he is by spitting out every whimsical idea that passes his frontal lobes. And by doing so he undermines his own people. I’ve said that even Mickey Mouse can beat Obama right now. It looks like the Republicans are going to nominate Mickey Mouse.
While I’m supporting Romney, Perry, Santorum, and Huntsman would all make better Conservative alternatives than Newt. We are not electing a debater in chief. We are electing a leader.