Perry's Middle East stance both religious and political

[nadinbrzezinski]

Washington (CNN) -- In his 2010 book "Fed Up!" about all that is wrong with U.S. governance, Texas Gov. Rick Perry never mentioned Israel or Palestinians.

A year later, as a Republican presidential hopeful, Perry jumped into the complex and thorny Middle East issue this week by harshly criticizing President Barack Obama's policies in the region.

Perry's comments, which reflected both his conservative principles and evangelical Christian faith, sought to capitalize on a political calculation that Obama is vulnerable on the issue among an influential and traditionally Democratic constituency -- the Jewish vote.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/21/politics/perry-israel/index.html?hpt=po_bn1