Joeseph Farah
Rick Perry is not what we once called "presidential timber."
He's not thoughtful enough for the job.
He's not consistent enough for the job.
And even after serving as governor of Texas for longer than any other person in history, he doesn't have enough of a track record for the job.
That's my conclusion to his startlingly incoherent and dangerous comments last week to the effect that he is fine with the New York legislature's decision to create a new institution called "same-sex marriage."
He's done as a potential candidate for the GOP nomination.
I had been seriously thinking of attending his Texas prayer meeting. That's off the table. I think he would be better off praying privately for some divine guidance and poring over the Scriptures than organizing public events of this kind.
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In case you missed his remarks to Republican fat cats in Aspen, Perry said: "Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. And you know what? That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me. That is their call. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business."
So, let me get this straight, Gov. Perry. If the New York state legislature decided to legalize polygamy or to eliminate the age of consent so pedophiles could legally target "consenting" children, you would have no problem with that?
I assume your 10th Amendment-trumps-all position would be the same?
By the way, this is not just some hyper-theoretical question. You might recall, Gov. Perry, that Utah couldn't join the Union until it outlawed polygamy – the 10th Amendment notwithstanding. Do you think a territory that permitted same-sex marriages even 20 years ago would have been admitted into the national covenant?
Of course not. You know that, and I know that.
In fact, when an existing member of the Union redefines a sacred, 6,000-year-old cultural institution like marriage, the very building block of civilization, it is an implicit violation of the values of that national covenant. It's ground for the national political equivalent of divorce.
Gov. Perry, one of the secrets of your recent successful bid for re-election as governor was your hint that if the federal government pushed Texas too far with mandates and regulations that you would consider secession as an alternative.
Was that just hype? Was that just re-election rhetoric? Were you just trying to bolster your conservative credentials?
If not, why are you using the 10th Amendment as a license to undermine civilization itself?
I guess I was too optimistic that Rick Perry's worldview had actually dramatically changed from 1989 when he served as Al Gore's campaign chief in Texas.
I guess I was too gullible in believing that his support for the NAFTA Superhighway through Texas was just a mistake, one Republicans should overlook in deciding on their next GOP presidential nominee.
I guess I was wrong about extending political grace to Perry for his advocacy of mandatory HPV vaccines for children.
I guess his early support for New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani as his first choice for president in 2008 was not a political faux pas after all.
I guess his quick jump in 2008 to support John McCain actually reflected his best political instincts.
I guess we were too quick to overlook his associations with globalists in the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bilderberg Group.
I guess he's happy about getting accolades from the Republican homosexual lobby GOProud for his "enlightened" stance on redefining marriage.
Let me add Rick Perry to the short list of totally unacceptable Republican presidential candidates – those that need to be rejected at all costs by those of us looking for a dramatic reversal of Barack Obama's policies in 2013. They include Mitt Romney and Obama's ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman.
I'm sure that list will grow in the months ahead. But for all those thinking Rick Perry was our answer in 2012, please reconsider.