JUNE 4, 2015
In a sweltering airport hangar in Dallas today, former Texas Gov, Rick Perry became the 10th candidate for the GOP presidential nomination. Perry, whose forceful entry in the 2012 race was stopped in its tracks by his “oops” moment in a notorious debate, emphasized his own military service in his announcement, as well as his concerns about the treatment of veterans in the U.S. today. The veteran angle is a new one for Perry, who ran as a Tea Partier in 2012, and as he is the only governor in the field that has military experience, that’s a clear, if somewhat limited lane in which to run.
However, a major hurdle for Perry is the fact that he is the first major candidate for President to run while under Federal felony indictment. So there’s that.
In case you were wondering (as I was) the identity of the twin bruisers flanking Perry they are Marcus and Morgan Luttrell, Navy SEALs and veterans of the Afghanistan war. (Marcus wrote of his combat experiences in the book “Lone Survivor,” which became the basis of the hit Mark Wahlberg movie.) Made for a very nice photo op, too, don’t you think?
