Part of Perry's pitch is the Texas economy, which has fared better than most statesduring the nation's economic troubles. Obama senior political adviser David Axelrod says Texas benefited from booming oil prices and increased military spending on two wars. He says, "I don't think many people would attribute it to the leadership of the governor down there."
Axelrod also criticized the wider Republican field in Thursday night's debate, saying they were more interested in pledging allegiance to the tea party's anti-tax values than in helping middle-class Americans.
