The Decisive George Bush

According to his collaborators, Rick Perry’s presidential dream was launched after a “touch” from Bush. Perry — who in 2000, when the former president went to the White House, succeeded Bush as governor — called him to inform him of his intention to participate in the Republican primaries.

The former president was most enthusiastic. According to Perry, “He said you don’t want to wake up when you’re 70 and go, ‘I wish I had tried that. I wish I had done that.’” The “blessing” of the former president came last month and was quite striking, considering that Bush and Perry are not exactly friends and, furthermore, maintain political differences. The governor stated that the former president was not “conservative enough” and, in the 2008 financial crisis, said that he should have been more liberal in his economic policy.

Many see a weakness in the comparisons which inevitably occur: Both were raised in the same western area of Texas and both speak with a similar accent and walk as though they’ve never worn anything except cowboy boots.