Campaign? What campaign? asks Perry, standing outside White House

                                  Gov. Rick Perry said he had a "good back and forth" with President Obama and several Cabinet secretaries on the economic stimulus package during a meeting the governors had at the White House today. Perry is one of several Republican lawmakers who have questioned strings that come attached to some of the funding, such as unemployment compensation. The stimulus covers part-time workers, which some governors say will force them to raise unemployment taxes when the federal money runs out.  "Just because Washington writes it in the bill, doesn't mean we have to take it," Perry said, as the governors poured out of the White House.

What about highway money? Perry, noting Texas' long history as a "donor" state to the highway trust fund, said, "it would be irresponsible not to take it."

Perry said he spent time talking to the "president's people about FEMA and HUD."
"If they don't change FEMA, FEMA will embarrass the president," he said. Perry is, however, a fan of DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, a former Ariz. governor, who he said will visit the hurricane-battered Texas coast in March.

But, really, what about that 2010 campaign? "Campaign?" asked Perry, as if he and Hutchison were not on the same planet. "I have not even focused on re-election. We're working." But, wait, aren't you running? "I'm running again," said Perry. But he dismissed the talk swirling around what is shaping up as a very nasty campaign. "It's all white noise," he said, singling out talk that Kinky Friedman and State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte would run for governor. But what about his most likely GOP rival, Sen. Hutchison? "I have no idea."

-- Maria Recio

Comments

[Kay Backer]

Perry is such a crook. Downplay KBH?? It's looking like she has more support than he does in Texas.

[JR]

They are both crooks. KBH voted for the bailout against her very vocal voters. Perry stood up and encouraged congress to vote for the bailout while the voters were all saying no. Either way the Republican party is shooting itself in the foot (again) by putting these hacks up for re-election. I think this time I will vote for Kinky Friedman if he runs. If not then it's third party for me.