King Clarifies His Rick Perry Remarks, Could Be 'Dominating Candidate'

Reid Pillifant — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:56:29 -0400

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.”

Politicker » King Clarifies His Rick Perry Remarks, Could Be 'Dominating Candidate'

King Clarifies His Rick Perry Remarks, Could Be 'Dominating Candidate'