Perry Comes To His Senses On Border Wall

Did you think Governor Rick Perry was in favor of building a wall between the United States and Mexico? After listening to his campaign rhetoric [or should I say campaign lies?], I certainly did.

"Border security" seemed to be the main theme of his re-election campaign. As R. G. Ratcliffe of the Houston Chronicle said, "Perry ran millions of dollars of television advertising portraying the border as an open zone of human and drug smuggling and as a potential pathway for terrorists....The campaign was widely seen as an effort to appeal to a Republican voting base angry at the federal government for failing to act to halt illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America."

But the pandering to the bigoted Republican base was just another example of Perry's lies and misrepresentations during the campaign. Now that he has been re-elected, he is changing his tune.

Listen to what Perry told a meeting of border mayors on Wednesday, "Now, strategic fencing in certain urban areas to direct the flow of traffic does make sense, but building a wall on the entire border is a preposterous idea. The only thing a wall would possibly accomplish is to help the ladder business. Good neighbors do not foster fear and engage in devisive appeals. They seek solutions." Doesn't sound like the same Rick Perry that we heard on the campaign trail, does it?

Perry is now also saying that he doesn't like the idea of doing away with "birthright citizenship". He said Rep. Berman's bill to strip citizenship from those born in the country whose parents are illegal immigrants, is devisive.

I like the things Perry is now saying, but how can we trust him after hearing him saying [or inferring] just the opposite only a couple of months ago? Perry is revealing himself as a two-faced political operative, who will say or do anything to gain a political advantage.

For the next four years, we have to wonder about anything he says. He has shown us that he plays fast and loose with the truth.