In a story this morning about Hill Republicans’ unease with Rick Perry, Politico quoted Peter King expressing some concern about Perry’s cavalier, off-the-cuff attitude in his first few days of campaigning.
“You can’t be calling Bernanke a traitor and you can’t be questioning whether or not Barack Obama loves America, that type of thing,” said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and veteran Long Island incumbent. “I’ve been with Perry a few times, and I can see how he could project, again, if it’s done the right way. But no, if he continues this, he’ll have a tough time.”
In fact, King told me this afternoon, he was trying to express what a compelling candidate Perry could be.
“Perry, more than any Republican, has the chance to really capitalize on President Obama’s lack of leadership,” King said. “He really dominates a room when he walks in. He’s one of those larger-than-life people. … He is so different from President Obama in that way, in that he is really able to exude confidence and leadership. So it’s up to him.”
King said Perry’s controversial comments — if they can even be considered mistakes — were “mistakes of nuance, or emphasis,” and his strong record on jobs “gives substance to his personality.”
Without prompting, King offered a comparison with the presumptive front-runner, Mitt Romney. “Romney, he definitely shows competence. And he shows he knows what’s going on. He has not shown that ability to really get people worked up yet, which I think Perry can do,” King said.
“More than any of the others, I think he has the chance to really establish himself as a dominating candidate.”
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