Rick Perry

Rick Perry ended his campaign on January 19, 2012. He has endorsed Newt Gingrich.

There's an old saying: "Third time's the charm." If George W. Bush were allowed to serve a third term in the White House, would he do better? If Rick Perry is elected, we'll have the answer. Perry is Bush: his appearance, voice and body language are strikingly similar. Like Bush, he is a former college cheerleader, governor of Texas, and a man who believes strongly in religion and in the death penalty. Perry also shares Bush's rhetorical weaknesses. On November 9, he tried to name the three departments he would eliminate from the federal government, but could remember only two of them as he stumbled for a painful 53 seconds on national television. Like Bush, however, he immediately made fun of his own weakness and may be able to hide his shortcomings behind his personal charm.

Current age: 61

From: Texas

Religion: Evangelical Christian

Career path: Texas agriculture commissioner

Current occupation: Governor of Texas since 2000

Priorities: Reducing the size and power of the federal government, except to allow the federal government to forbid gay marriage and abortion.

His critics call him: Slick Rick, Governor Goodhair, Forrest Gump, The Executioner, Bush without the brains.

Distinguishing features: Resembles every comedian who ever imitated George W. Bush.

Clown factor: *****

Skeletons in closet: ***

Religious fervor: *****

Cuckoo factor: **

Ability to stretch the truth: ***

Troublesome aspects: Very bad debater. Has Bush's snicker. When massive wildfires destroyed parts of his state in the summer of 2011, his answer was to publicly pray for rain. Wants more nuclear energy, but cannot pronounce the word "nuclear".

Why they won't elect him: Perry can be attacked on too many points. He claims to have brought economic success to Texas, but while he's been in office, the state has tripled its debt. Texas continues to be notorious for its low educational and environmental standards, and it is the state with the highest proportion of residents without health insurance. Perry signed legislation allowing the children of illegal immigrants to pay the same low college tuition fees as Texas residents — a position for which other candidates have attacked him. In 2007, Perry signed a very controversial executive order requiring 12-year-old girls to be vaccinated against human papilloma virus; the governor now says he should've made it an opt-in program.

Why they might: About half of the electorate did vote for Bush — and like Bush, Perry knows what he believes in. A debate audience in September cheered when Perry said Texas had executed 234 people while he was governor. Many Democrats are hoping he'll be the nominee; they "misunderestimate" him at their peril.

Website: www.rickperry.org

— Mike Pilewski

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