Perry is in!

On s'en doutait, maintenant c'est officiel!

Texas Gov. Rick Perry launched his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination here Saturday, scrambling the GOP field from afar on the same day Iowans were casting ballots in the Ames Straw Poll.

“It is time to get America working again,” Perry, 61, told the RedState Gathering of conservative bloggers and activists.

“That’s why, with the support of my family, and an unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today as a candidate for president of the United States.”

Standing cheers and a “Per-ry! Per-ry!” chant broke out on the floor of the packed ballroom.

The Texas governor’s entry into the race is expected to reorder the field, rendering Saturday’s Ames Straw Poll results obsolete and providing a heavyweight alternative to Mitt Romney, the tenuous frontrunner. Perry’s candidacy most immediately imperils Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman whose appeal is similar to Perry’s—and who could find her surge quickly halted.

Perry blasted President Obama’s economic performance and touted his job-creation record, noting that Texas has accounted for more than 40 percent of America’s new jobs—despite being home to only about 10 percent of the population—since June 2009.

“Page One of any economic plan to get America working is to give a pink slip to the current resident in the White House,” he said.

“We have led Texas based on some really pretty simple guiding principles,” he added. “One is, don’t spend all the money. Two is keeping the taxes low and under control. Three is to have a regulatory climate that’s fair and predictable. And four, reform the legal system.”

Perhaps in light of the infamy of his past comments about secession, Perry made sure to appeal outside the boundaries of the Lone Star State.

“I know I’ve talked a lot about Texas. I’m a Texan, and I’m proud of it. But first and foremost, I am an incredibly proud American,” Perry said. “I know something: America is not broken. Washington, D.C. is broken.”

Perry vowed to repeal Obama’s health-care reform, balance the budget without raising taxes, seal the border and pursue a more muscular foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East. And he vowed to get government out of people’s lives.

“I’ll work every day to try to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential in your life as I can,” he said."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61294.html