Perry uses Eastwood ad to hit Obama

“What 2012 offers us is a chance to offer a starkly different vision for America,” he said. “We can’t tinker our way to victory. We’ve got to be bold. We’ve got to be clear. We must embrace constitutional conservatism.”

The audience ate up Perry’s remarks, which were delivered with a few minor stutters, giving him multiple standing ovations.

Aides close to the Texas governor suggested after he dropped his
presidential bid that he was interested in running for president again
in 2016. His broad-strokes speech indicated that idea might still be on
his mind.

He said that Republicans lost control of Congress in 2006 not “because of an unpopular war” but because they were spending too much and accepting earmarks.

He went after Obama, and used the controversial Clint Eastwood Super Bowl ad for Chrysler to do it.

“If it’s halftime in America I’m fearful of what the final score’s going to be if we let this president start the second half as quarterback,” he said.

Perry ran through a laundry list of perceived government overreaches. “You ought to be outraged!” he yelled. Members of the audience responded with calls of “We are!”

“You ought to be incensed!” he continued. “You don’t have to settle this election … you have the power, and more important you have the Constitution on your side.”

Perry finished by calling on the audience to “take our country back.”

—Updated at 3:32 p.m. and 3:42 p.m.