Texas Gov. Rick Perry tipped his hat to a likely rival this week, calling former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush "probably the front-runner" in the 2016 race for the White House,
The Washington Times reports.
“Jeb’s a good man, a good friend. He was a good governor. You know, him getting in the race, I think, helps the field,” the Texas governor told radio host Hugh Hewitt. “I would suggest to you he’s probably, since he said what he said, he’s probably the front-runner at this particular point in time.”
Bush, who hasn't sought public office since he was re-elected governor in 2006, used Facebook and Twitter on Dec. 16 to announce that he would "actively explore" a 2016 run.
The move puts Bush in direct competition with Perry, who has not yet declared himself a candidate but is taking steps toward a second White House bid after he came up short in the 2012 Republican primaries.
The two disagree on some issues including the federal Common Core educational standards, which Bush has championed. But on Tuesday, Perry welcomed Bush to the race.
Perry also criticized Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic candidate who leads in some early presidential polls, by taking aim at her tenure as Secretary of State.
Perry said that Clinton and her boss, President Barack Obama, both did a "miserable" and "feckless" job of managing global affairs, and presided over numerous "foreign policy debacles."
“She's got a lot of questions about her performance, about the positions she’s had, whether it’s Benghazi, or whether it’s allowing the Iranians to head towards a nuclear weapon,” he said.
He said of Clinton that "there’s a difference between traveling a lot and making good decisions, and I think that’s going to be the real question."
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