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Opinion: Rick Perry’s higher calling

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Wow, I wish I were Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry may be a Republican presidential candidate. He told Iowa’s biggest newspaper that he’ll decide in a couple of weeks or so whether to run.

So far, so normal. Then came this:

In the Des Moines Register interview, Perry claims that running for president ‘is what I’ve been called to do,’ and ‘what America needs.’

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How did Perry get so lucky? He’s been ‘called’ to run for president?

Me, I get ‘called’ for jury duty. Or I get a ‘call’ when my kid is not doing his homework. The car repair place ‘called’ me the other day to say that the shocks on my car are shot -- and so are my tires.

Also, my boss has ‘called’ me several times to come in and work on the weekend: ‘Just for an hour or so, if you want to.’

How come I can’t get a ‘call’ to run for president? Heck, I’d settle for governor at this point, considering how well paid some of California’s government employees are.

Life must be so much easier for guys like Perry. Of course, his boss is, apparently, The Boss:

As The Times reported, on Aug. 6 Perry is hosting at a prayer gather at Houston’s Reliant Stadium called ‘The Response: a call to prayer for a nation in crisis.’

‘As an elected leader, I’m all too aware of government’s limitations when it comes to fixing things that are spiritual in nature. That’s where prayer comes in, and we need it more than ever,’ Perry says in a video posted to the event’s website.

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Oh, so that’s it: He’s got an in. Isn’t that always the way? I tell you, you have to network these days to get the good jobs.

Speaking of jobs, that would apparently be one of Perry’s big selling points on the campaign trail: Texas’ reputation as the little job engine than can.

‘If anybody tries to argue the fact that we have not created an economic juggernaut in the state of Texas, then they’re either naive, they have a political agenda, or they’re just not paying attention,’ Perry told the Register, hinting at what would be the foundation of his campaign’s message.

If that’s the case, though, perhaps California Gov. Jerry Brown should think about reviving his presidential hopes.

As The Times reported Sunday in ‘What recession? It’s boom time in Silicon Valley:’

Venture capitalists poured more than $2.3 billion into Bay Area start-ups in the first quarter alone, a 53% increase from a year ago. Private equity firms, investment banks and mutual funds also have leaped into the mix, hunting for growth investments in a sluggish market.

(Although that story must be wrong: After all, everyone knows businesses are fleeing California. You can’t do business in California -- all those liberals and environmentalists and government regulations, ya know.)

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Of course, Perry didn’t really say that God is calling for him to run. It could be the Koch brothers, who may not be God but certainly have more money than Him. Or maybe one of those super-PACs that The Times reported on Sunday; they’re already spending big money on ads touting various causes.

Regardless, I’m betting that Perry is going to throw his Stetson in the ring.

Although he’s going to have finish up that light-bulb fight: First he’ll save the 100-watt incandescent bulb, then the country!

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Would Obama stand a chance against Rick Perry?

Rick Perry: The presidential candidate dogged by a ghost?

--Paul Whitefield

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