Rick Perry, Border Security, And The Vice Presidency

This year, Rick Perry–coasting on that tsunami tidal wave tiny sprinkle from a hose that was his 39 percent election victory in 2008–has suddenly become “Governor All Over The Idealogical Map.” He’s gone from the right wing (pretty much everything he does) to the left wing (HPV vaccines, anyone?) to the center and back around again half a dozen times.

Now, he’s trying to appear as though he’s a moderate through the issue of border security:

Lawmakers in Washington have failed to see the economic benefits of legal immigration and how a temporary worker program can coexist with greater border security, Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday as he concluded a three-day energy trade mission to Mexico.

Mr. Perry spoke passionately about the two pressing issues between the nations: an immigration overhaul and securing the border without building fences between neighbors.

“We know how to deal with border security, and you don’t do it by building a fence,” Mr. Perry said at a news conference before meeting with President Felipe Calderón.

Part of the reason for the shrillness of the debate over immigration, he said, was that media have given a “megaphone … to people to say mean and nasty things.”

Well cut my finger off with a table saw and call me “Stubbs.” Rick Perry evidently doesn’t realize that it’s the people in his own party who have seized the megaphone to say mean and nasty things. Either that, or he’s angling for an appearance on Lou Dobbs’ program.

All of this, of course, just looks like more icing on the proverbial Veep cake Perry seems to have been baking for the last couple of years. For someone who doesn’t want to be Vice President, he sure is trying awful hard to appear (a) more moderate than he really is; and (b) like an international leader.

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