Politics

Perry Critical Of The President’s Timeline For Afghanistan and Iraq

Perry Criticizes The Presidents Timeline For Afghanistan and Iraq

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Saturday thoughtful discussion is needed to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq as he wrapped up his first week of campaigning for the GOP’s presidential nomination.

Perry has emphasized domestic issues since he launched his bid last week in Charleston. He returned to the early primary state of South Carolina on Friday for fundraisers, to pick up key endorsements and to give voters a chance to hear him in person.

After a Rock Hill event, Perry told reporters the nation needs to be thoughtful about deploying troops and bringing them home as he criticized President Barack Obama’s timeline for doing so in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We need to be thoughtful before we ever go into an area that America’s interests are truly being impacted, and then we need to start having a thoughtful conversation with those commanders in the field about how to be bringing our young men and women back,” Perry said. “Look, I think the president made a huge mistake by signaling the enemy that we’re going to leave at a particular time. That’s bad public policy, but more importantly it put our kids in harm’s way.”

Perry also talked about immigration and border security, an issue that divides him and rival Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. She told South Carolina voters this past week that U.S. troops in South Korea should be redeployed to south Texas and a wall should be built on every inch of the border with Mexico. Perry wants border security, but dismisses the idea of a barrier the length of the border.

Perry said Congress should leave it up to the states to shape laws regarding illegal immigration. For instance, he said he didn‘t want a law like Arizona’s in Texas. “I didn’t want to make our law enforcement officers federal immigration officers. So state-by-state ought to be the way to do that, not by the federal government making one size fits all,” Perry said. Meanwhile, the issue of immigration reform, Perry said, can’t be addressed until the border is secure.

He packed rooms and restaurants everywhere he went. For instance, at a Greenville restaurant Saturday, about 100 people waited outside as he spoke to about 500 inside.

Perry’s primary pitch from the beginning has been getting more people back to work and blaming Obama for job loss.

“The answer is we’re going to cut the taxes, we’re going lower the regulations, we‘re going to get the lawyers out of our business and we’re going to get America back working again,” Perry said.

His lines pleased crowds in South Carolina, which in July had the nation’s third-highest unemployment rate, 10.5 percent. That, Perry said, “is a testament to the widespread misery created by this administration. They inherited a bad economy, but they made it worse.”

Perry didn’t leave South Carolina empty-handed. His campaign raised money at a private event Friday in Greenville. And he left the state with key endorsements.

Longtime state legislator David Wilkins, who played a big role in George W. Bush’s White House races, signed onto Perry’s bid. And Harvey Peeler, majority leader in the state Senate, jumped aboard, too.

Peeler and Wilkins, who rose to House speaker before Bush named him ambassador to Canada, are the most notable backers to announce their support for a candidate in South Carolina.

Both endorsements came even though U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint encouraged fellow leading Republicans in South Carolina to hold off for now on making endorsements.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Comments (97)

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  • Bernard
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:32pm

    Basic lessons of warfare:
    - Do not set a deadline for withdrawal thereby letting the enemy to simply wait out till we depart
    -Do not set regulations upon our soldiers such as the “seven rules of engagement” or “zero collateral damage when the enemy does not follow those same rules and instead go further in violating any human rights and even ignore the rules set by the Geneva conference for this will lead to a greater conflagration in that region and the uncomfortable decision of the next President in again sending more American troops into a region that has metastasized into a greater and more brutal war.

    Report Post »  
    • stopspendingourmoney
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:50pm

      Don’t be fooled the media plays both sides of dems and repubs Perry is just another one of the establishments implants.

      Report Post »  
    • Tyr
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 9:50pm

      Gee Bernard did you make that up or did you get that from a book on the discount rack at Borders?

      Report Post » Tyr  
  • ladyda
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:17pm

    I do not trust Rick Perry. I would feel much safer with Michelle Bachmann or Ron Paul…..I am so afraid the Republican party will end up throwing any true conservative under the bus. We need to replace as quickly as possible from the bottom up all these establishment people with grass roots constitutional conservatives. Please…don’t let it be too late!

    Report Post » ladyda  
    • Stuck_in_CA
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 8:37pm

      Michelle is closest to my ideology. She’s short on the type of experience we need in the office. Especially after what we’ve been going through with the current occupant. She would NEVER sell us out.
      More on Perry:
      Rick Perry and The Conflicts of Government Licensed Corporate Profit: Merck & Gardasil
      http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/08/rick-perry-and-the-conflicts-of-government-licensed-corporate-profit-merck-gardasil.html

      Report Post » Stuck_in_CA  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 10:05pm

      @Cali — have you considered Herman Cain. He’s a real conservative w/experience in putting people to work. He came up the hard way and knows the value of a dollar.

      Report Post » Elena2010  
    • loriann12
      Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:54am

      Yea to Herman Cain. Out of all those running, I am leaning that way currently. Partly because I want to hear the left claim discrimination when he wins against Obama. What would their arguement be? Now we’re racist against Mulatos?

      Report Post »  
  • LibertariansUnite
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:13pm

    Your spam idiot.

    Report Post » LibertariansUnite  
  • Bernard
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:11pm

    Along with the “seven rules of engagement” and zero collateral damage President Obama’s deadline to remove American troops in a war that is still raging are the many reasons why the US cannot win a war. In all of human history warring nations never set a deadline to withdraw without first winning that war. Now our enemies know when we will depart and then hell will break across the Middle East with the tacit support of Iran, the Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban for all they have to do is simply wait till we remove our troops.
    The sad aspect of this policy is when the Middle East explodes into a regional war our next President will be in that unenviable position of reversing Obama’s lopsided decision and again send US troops into a war that has metastasized into a greater and more brutal regional war costing us the lives of our soldiers and our tax dollars.
    The lesson to be learned is when in war DO NOT tell the enemy when we will withdraw and put obstacles like the “seven rules of engagement” or zero collateral damage when our enemy does not adhere to these principles, and instead go out of their way to violate any human rights including those set by the Geneva conference.

    Report Post »  
  • LPpaladin
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 6:37pm

    Watch out Perry is a typical politician that is being controlled by the same bunch that put Obama, Bush, and Clinton in office. The last president that worked for people and fought against the new world order also wanted to shut down the department of education? Ronald Regain, We need a change not the same old sorority club of politicians. New Blood is needed.

    Report Post »  
  • TheCenturion
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 6:17pm

    On border security, Perry is WRONG!!!!!

    Bachman is RIGHT.

    Report Post »  
    • Sicboy
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 6:40pm

      This man doesn’t have an original thought in his head. Will a REAL conservative please step forward?

      Report Post » Sicboy  
  • Sy Kosys
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 6:08pm

    Ron Paul is the blah blah…

    He’s the only one yadda yadda…

    He has a record of (insert Miss Othmar’s muffled diatribe here)……

    Did i miss anything?

    Report Post » Sy Kosys  
  • RA0725
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 6:01pm

    Announcing a timeline for military withdrawal (to score political points) is bad policy. So is public disclosure of covert operators! Ignoring the advice of commanders in theatre is bad policy.

    Having a Marxist, Liberal, Radical as Commander in Chief is bad policy!

    Report Post »  
  • cripplecreek
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:52pm

    Anything to avoid that pesky immigration issue.

    Way to man up there Ricky. LOL

    Report Post »  
  • YepImaConservative
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:44pm

    spam

    Report Post » YepImaConservative  
  • opNorthwoods
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:39pm

    Ron Paul is the only way to get to decency :
    ***The total known land area occupied by U.S. bases and facilities is 15,654 square miles — bigger than D.C., Massachusetts, and New Jersey combined.

    ***Each day in Afghanistan costs the government more than it did to build the entire Pentagon

    ***In 2008, the Pentagon spent more money every five seconds in Iraq than the average American earned in a year

    ***The Pentagon spends more on war than all 50 states combined spend on health, education, welfare, and safety

    Report Post » opNorthwoods  
    • YepImaConservative
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:47pm

      LOL. Yeah, like legalizing drugs and prostitution. Those decent Libertarians sure do know how to try and make a buck off of decency.

      Report Post » YepImaConservative  
    • LibertariansUnite
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:13pm

      @YEAHIMCONSERVATIVE

      Your very ignorant if you think that prostitution and legalizing of drugs is the only issues Paul supporters care about.

      Sure, go ahead and elect another sold politician, when the United States collapses and your children ask what you did to stop it, you can reply with:

      “I voted with the establishment, so in essence it is my fault.”

      Report Post » LibertariansUnite  
  • Check please
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:36pm

    Oh hooray! Thoughtful discussions and no time lines! That kind of assertive swagger will surely encourage our troops as they serve in that god-forsaken land until 2024!!!

    Check please!

    Report Post » Check please  
  • trooper
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:30pm

    Other world powers won’t want to mess with this guy, kind of like dear Ronny. Much better than the coke sniffing, closet homosexual, marxist, commie, American hating, racist, white people hating, gimpy, limp wristed, puppet we have on vacation this week as the country implodes. Vote him out or whack his a$$.

    Report Post »  
    • mils
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:33pm

      sounds like you’re talking about our BPOS pres…please don’t hold back on your feelings!hahah

      Report Post »  
  • vinnymac46
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:19pm

    Leading a march or protesting some housing project is a heck of alot different than leading men and women of the Armed Forces…but Oblama and his people can‘t seem to grasp this idea they somehow think we’ll just win them over with kindness. I say kill those who are terrorizing the others who just want to be left alone to live their lives.

    Report Post » vinnymac46  
  • trooper
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:19pm

    The next president, the devil we know is the the devil himself, this man is by far a better leader.

    Report Post »  
  • All Pro
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:04pm

    Give it up Perry. You’re just McCain with a Texas drawl. You aren’t now and you never were the T.E.A. party‘s choice and without us you can’t win. Now sit down and shut up you progressive, neocon hack.

    Report Post » All Pro  
    • Jim in Houston
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:08pm

      Pull your head out All Pro and you too Pig Pen.

      Report Post »  
    • becker88
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:16pm

      Perry has the right idea but it falls short.

      http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos

      Report Post »  
    • USMarine0311
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:41pm

      Although I am not a huge Perry fan he is far better than McCain. Perry would be a better President than Romney or Obama. I like Herman Cain but would not be against a Perry/Cain ticket.

      Report Post »  
  • qpwillie
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:04pm

    lol – Rick has the lefties and Paulies (Same thing for all intents and purposes) shaking in their boots.

    Report Post » qpwillie  
    • 101
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:19pm

      Do your research on Perry maybe you won’t make the same mistakes as in your past!

      I’m not a push over and lean further right that you, so get a clue when you call people names because you don’t understand the system!

      Report Post »  
    • Sean In LI
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:33pm

      LOL, 101. Ron Paul supporters lean so far right they somehow wind up on the left. Amazing, that.

      Report Post »  
    • 101
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:40pm

      Yep, can’t get any further right than this…Right?

      Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor has Rises From the Dead
      http://jeromecorsi.com/article.php?id=72

      TX Gov. Rick Perry Attends Bilderberg in Istanbul, 2007
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90jfQrb4wAE

      Rick Perry Was Al Gore’s Texas Campaign Chairman/manager in 1988
      http://www.enviroknow.com/2011/06/23/rick-perry-al-gore-1988/

      Report Post »  
    • qpwillie
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:42pm

      101,
      I understand that the Paulies are out in force to smear all of Obama‘s opponents who don’t happen to be Ron Paul. That’s a clear sign that you place Obama in the same class with anybody else so you have no qualms with helping him get reelected.

      Your condescending, down-talking to me is laughable. I’m most likely much better informed than you.

      Report Post » qpwillie  
    • YepImaConservative
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:49pm

      Paulies? Are they the same as PaulBots, Ronulans and Code Pink? Lol.

      Report Post » YepImaConservative  
    • 101
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 6:01pm

      Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor has a new name and is being built as we type, Perry Attended Bilderberg in Istanbul, 2007, Perry Was Al Gore’s Texas Campaign Chairman/manager in 1988. Perry tried to mandate that all the young 6th grade girl in Texas be FORCED to take an HPV vaccine

      Yep, this is “RIGHT” in your eyes.

      State the facts don’t just call names it only shows your ignorance…Paulies the best you got? lol

      Report Post »  
    • qpwillie
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 6:31pm

      101,
      I don‘t think Perry is the best we’ve got and I sure don‘t think Ron Paul is but I won’t sit back and watch you Paulies help Obama get back into that white house without saying something.

      Report Post » qpwillie  
    • qpwillie
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 6:45pm

      There are some sensible people out there who agree with most of Ron Paul’s ideas but the tactics of the Paulie cult has Obama written all over them.

      Report Post » qpwillie  
    • 101
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:15pm

      @qpwillie
      You’re dead wrong about RP supporters laying down and handing BO their vote. RP is the Tea Party, the same Tea Party that was high jacked by the GOP , what do you think the Tea Party stands for? Who is the Tea Party? RP started the Tea Party back in 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvGS12EoZUE corny video but you know the people in Texas [sarcasm].

      Anybody than runs on the GOP ticket will get my vote but, right now it’s the primaries may the best candidate win the GOP ticket… if you disagree with something “state the facts” not opinions everybody has an opinion that’s why we vote!

      The last thing anybody wants is to throw this election…this election is it, it will make or break America!

      Report Post »  
    • qpwillie
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:29pm

      The GOP in general don’t like the tea party movement. They wish we would go away. The first rally that was called a “tea party” was the first big one in DC. Rob Paul didn’t attend.

      Here is a copy/paste typical Paulie comment on YouTube about Michelle Bachmann:
      “I will run in three feet of snow for 7 miles in order to vote for Obama again if this woman wins the nomination. Republicans wise up! Ron Paul is the only guy that could possibly beat Obama.”

      They similarly attack ALL the other candidates.

      Report Post » qpwillie  
    • qpwillie
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:33pm

      “Rob Paul” is a typo.

      Report Post » qpwillie  
    • cous1933
      Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:00pm

      Qpwillie,
      You call the following statement “typical” of Ron Paul supporters – “I will run in three feet of snow for 7 miles in order to vote for Obama again if this woman wins the nomination”. This goes to show how wrong you are about Ron Paul supporters. No real Ron Paul supporter that I know would vote for Obama “again” because none that I know voted for him before. What might be typical is for them to say “I‘ll only vote for Ron Paul and if he doesn’t get the nomination, I’ll write him in”. Many Republicans like to say that is the same thing as voting for Obama but nothing could be further from the truth. Taking the liberty of speaking for the Ron Paul supporters that think like I do, there are two reasons for saying “no one but Ron Paul gets my vote”
      1) The other candidates of both parties are all (under the surface) so similar that a vote for Obama or a vote for the Republican nominee (if it’s not Ron Paul) means more of the same. We honestly believe that.
      2) We are voting on our principles. Not on who pundits say to vote for. Voting on principle is NEVER a wasted vote, win or lose. A vote for the lesser of two evils is still evil and that is truly a wasted vote. This is not a rival football game to us where we put on the GOP jersey even if the player is someone like Romney or Perry whose credibility as conservatives is very questionable, or Bachmann who seems like a pretty nice lady but she has a LOT to learn about the Constitution.

      Report Post » cous1933  
    • cous1933
      Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:14pm

      continued ….

      You say we “attack ALL of the other candidates”. I will agree that Ron Pauls supporters are zealous and passionate about our candidate but I believe the reasons are legitimate. First of all we believe that the gap between Ron Pauls integrity and intelligence and the other candidates staus quo phoniness and cluelessness is as big as the Grand Canyon. And second, most of the posts that I’ve seen by Ron Paul supporters that are exceptionally zealous or less than civil are usually in defense of Ron Paul (or fellow supporters) against ad hominem attacks or misrepresentations, or outright slanderous lies. I’m pretty sure a thorough review of the posts on all of the Ron Paul stories would confirm this. Most of the Ron Paul supporters on The Blaze represent themselves very well when involved in a reasoned, civil debate on issues (as long as the Ron Paul critics keep it honest).

      Report Post » cous1933  
  • 101
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:57pm

    What did he have to say about BO not deporting illegal’s…Oh something he neglected to mention!

    Perry is a big government washout (elitist )

    Report Post »  
    • JJ Coolay
      Posted on August 21, 2011 at 1:52am

      101.. we get it, you don’t like him.

      Do you see Perry supporters TRASHING all over Ron Paul?
      Give it a rest man!
      You vote for your guy and let everyone else vote for theirs, let the chips fall and whoever wins the Gop… we vote for him, huh??

      Report Post » JJ Coolay  
  • Pigpen
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:51pm

    This guy can talk tough all he wants. Fact is he is the GOP’s “smoke filled room” pick which means only more of the same Trilateral Commission and Council on Foreign Affairs hacks running DC. In other words: NO CHANGE. Rick recently has been quoted by ABCNews as saying “that it was a ‘mistake’ to issue an executive order in 2007 requiring all sixth-grade Texas girls to have the vaccine [Gardasil]” That is exactly like Rep Wiener saying it was a mistake to send a picture of his dong to a porn star and then lie by saying a vicious Tea Party hacker was the guilty culprit who did it!

    Report Post » Pigpen  
  • weeblewacker1
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:50pm

    hehe,ya ricky! maybe you need to go review your collage transcripts.(you came pretty close to failing economics 101)

    Report Post »  
  • weeblewacker1
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:48pm

    shhh ricky,shouldn’t you be checking on how your stock in the porn biz is doing?

    Report Post »  
  • thecrow
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:44pm

    http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/the-ones-who-attacked-us/

    Report Post »  
  • MODEL82A1
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:43pm

    These wars were supposed to have ended immediately after Obama’s inauguration. And the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay was to be closed as well. These should be issues championed by DEMOCRATS .

    Report Post » MODEL82A1  
  • Dustyluv
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:40pm

    Bullcrap!! Bring our troops home and let the Muslims fight it out amoung themselves. We are in the middle of a civil war right now..Get out and let them settle it.

    If anyone screws with us then bomb Mecca back to the stone age!

    Report Post »  
    • Jim in Houston
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:10pm

      Anyone got a fire *******?

      Report Post »  
    • Eblaze44
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:19pm

      Mecca is all about the stone age. There they worship a black rock.

      Report Post » Eblaze44  
    • standupbcounted
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 5:30pm

      I agree our troops should all come home NOW. Perry is right about the fact that you don’t tell your enemy your plans. Obama is a total failure-in-chief.

      Report Post »  
    • CynicalPatriot
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 7:11pm

      Ending the wars ahead of schedule is the one thing I was hoping Obama would do. I turned against Bush when I realized he thought he could “win” by pansy assing around, and jailing our soldiers who dared to shoot back. All we’re doing is establishing two more muslim governments that will descend into anarchy the minute we leave. There’s nothing we could have done about it, it was a doomed mission from the beginning. I want the troops home NOW, and I don’t care if those people eat each other when we leave. Big trouble is coming here at home, and I‘d like it if all the people who’ve sworn an oath to defend the constitution were here. If we lose it here, it doesn’t matter what the terrorists do.

      Report Post »  
  • ddg7
    Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:39pm

    Why do the GOP candidates nitpick Obama. Obama’s been bad on the economy, bad on the war, bad on the deficit, bad on jobs, etc.. Just say Obama is a TOTAL FAILURE!

    Report Post »  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:42pm

      No kidding…and all the Dems can come with on Perry is that he believes God created man. Guess what Dems, most Americans do, that won’t hurt him.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • J.C. McGlynn
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:44pm

      Were you on an “Adams” class destroyer?

      Report Post » J.C. McGlynn  
    • MODEL82A1
      Posted on August 20, 2011 at 4:45pm

      Exactly! Once again, Republicans will end up negotiating against THEMSELVES.

      Report Post » MODEL82A1  
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