Adios, Mofo Why Rick Perry Will Make America Miss George W. Bush

From two Texas insiders, a biting, no-holds-barred investigation of the troubling life and alarming works of Rick Perry, Republican presidential candidate Steeped in Texas politics, James Moore and Jason Stanford have been watching Rick Perry, the state's longest-serving governor, from his earliest days in Austin. Here, in the first full examination of Perry's record, they trace the rise of an obscure cotton grower from the plains of West Texas to frontrunner presidential candidate of the Republican Party. Yep, another Texan. And this one, say Moore and Stanford, is the GOP on steroids: a walking, talking tax break who responds to a drought with a weekend of prayer. As they reveal, far from delivering a Texas Miracle, Perry has created a Texas Tragedy: the state ranks 50th on health coverage, 50th for students with a high-school diploma (by age 25!), 50th on pollution. Only three states perform worse on the number of residents below the poverty line, but no one does it better than Texas when it comes to toxic waste generated and carcinogens emitted. Even Perry's success at job creation should cause alarm, based as it is on the elimination of every protection for the people who do those jobs. Moore and Stanford show that if elected, Perry will take the same blunt force instrument to Washington. While it's been said that Perry is so bad at governing he couldn't lead a silent prayer, he is so good at politics that he has lost not one of the nine elections in which he's run. "Adios mofo" Perry's notorious kiss-off to a critic has become Texas shorthand for the arrogance and contempt in Austin. Heed the warning, say Moore and Stanford or it might yet be "adios mofo" for the rest of the nation.

<p><b>James Moore</b> is the co-author of <i>Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential</i>, a <i>New York Times</i> best-seller, and has co-written two other books. Published in the <i>LA Times</i>, <i>Boston Globe</i>, <i>Salon</i>, and <i>Dallas Morning News</i>, Moore has received an Emmy, the Edward R. Murrow award, and been named Best Reporter in Texas by <i>Associated Press</i>, <i>UPI</i>, and the Houston Press Club. He lives in Austin, Texas.</p><p>
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Political consultant <b>Jason Stanford</b> has worked on more than 200 campaigns in 41 states. His clients have included 25 members of Congress, three governors (two in Texas), and the AFL-CIO. He has been featured and quoted on <i>NPR</i>, <i>CNN Money</i>, and <i>Fox News</i>, and in <i>Harper's</i>, <i>Atlantic Monthly</i>, and the <i>New York Times</i>, among other publications. </p><p>
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