Perry says he opposes proposed Confederate flag license plate

{mosads}A similar proposal by the Sons of Confederate Veterans was rejected two years ago in Texas. But even if the board does vote to approve the plate, Perry likely defused what could be a damaging political issue.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Perry’s family once hunted at a lodge that carried a racially insensitive name. Perry said that he ordered the name to be painted over as soon as he could, and that he had always found the name objectionable.

But Perry has not always opposed confederate imagery. In 2000, when Perry served as future-president George W. Bush’s lieutenant governor, Perry opposed an effort by the NAACP to remove a pair of blonde plaques that contained confederate symbols.

“Although this is an emotional issue, I want you to know that I oppose efforts to remove Confederate monuments, plaques and memorials from public property,” Perry wrote in a letter to the Sons of Confederate Veterans obtained by the AP.  “I also believe that communities should decide whether statues or other memorials are appropriate for their community. I believe that Texans should remember the past and learn from it.”

Still, even then Perry said that while “we should never forget our history,” that “dwelling on the 19th century takes needed attention away from our future in the 21st century.”