The Dark Horse Who Could Win It All

By Russ Vaughn

If you were to compile a list of attributes that could make a dark horse Republican candidate the next President of the United States it might look something like this:

Raised on a ranch in a 60's family of politically active, conservative Democrats

An Eagle Scout whose son would also earn that same distinction

A former Air Force officer and pilot of multi-engine, tactical aircraft

A successful cotton farmer

Married to his childhood sweetheart, a registered nurse, with two children

Served in his state legislature as a Democrat

Named by a leading state newspaper as one of the state's most effective legislators

A conservative Democrat who became a Republican in 1989

Elected state agriculture commissioner in 1990

Re-elected state agriculture commissioner in 1994 by huge margin

Elected his state's first ever Republican lieutenant governor in 1998

Ascended to the office of governor in 2000 when his boss got a promotion

Re-elected to the governorship in 2002, 2006 and 2010

Now the most senior, longest-serving most experienced governor in the U.S.

The widely-respected current chairman of the Republican Governor's Association

A fiscal conservative who has built the most prosperous state economy in America

A social conservative and outspoken proponent of limited federal government powers

A tall, lean, ruggedly handsome and articulate man with a lovely and gracious first lady

Last time around, American voters threw caution to the winds and elected as president a man with a dubious past, dubious friends and dubious qualifications to lead, whose sole attraction was his ability to make pleasing but empty promises on a teleprompter. Look at where that's gotten us. Now look at the above résumé and tell me you don't think this country could use a leader with all that executive experience and that long track record of success. Think about it: we have a president who can't run on his record and we could pit against him a man who could do exactly that, with a record that is unequaled anywhere else in the American political spectrum

From what I read here at American Thinker and elsewhere, I believe America is starved for leadership and here we have a conservative Republican chief executive who has it in spades. Conservatives, Republicans and independents should be praying that this man will step forward and declare his candidacy for president. Look at that list one more time and tell me a man like this isn't what this country needs to lead us out of the quagmire Obama and the Democrats have led us into.

This man is Rick Perry, Governor of Texas and Chief Executive Officer of the nation's most successful state economy, a true fiscal and social conservative and a strong proponent of states' rights and limited federal intrusion into our lives: the dark horse who could win it all.

(Biographical information available here)