Mitch Daniels: Rick Perry, or any Republican who breathes, could win

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Mitch Daniels: Rick Perry, or any Republican who breathes, could win

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says the nation鈥檚 economic situation 'has become so grave and the failure of current policy so obvious' that Rick Perry or any other Republican could beat Obama.

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Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels speaks at a Monitor-hosted breakfast for reporters in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

By Dave Cook Staff writer

Sept. 23, 2011, 2:18 p.m. ET | Washington

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says that Texas Gov. Rick Perry could beat President Obama, but so could 鈥渁ny Republican who breathes and speaks English.鈥�

Governor Daniels was Ronald Reagan鈥檚 political director and the budget director for George W. Bush. He withdrew from presidential consideration himself in May, citing family concerns.

The two-term Midwestern governor told reporters at a Monitor-hosted breakfast Friday that if he had been asked about Mr. Perry鈥檚 electability a year ago he would have said, 鈥淚 think he has been a good governor, but I don鈥檛 think that will fly.鈥�

But, Daniels argued, the nation鈥檚 economic situation 鈥渉as become so grave and the failure of current policy so obvious that I think all kinds of people could be elected,鈥� including Perry. The Texas governor is the current front-runner among Republican presidential hopefuls. In Thursday evening鈥檚 GOP debate, however, Perry stumbled on several questions, causing conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer to say on Fox News, 鈥淗e鈥檚 still the rookie in the field.鈥�

Daniels said that he hoped he was wrong but he did not see any major economic improvement in the next year. 鈥淚n that situation 鈥� it could be that any Republican who breathes and speaks English becomes the default option鈥� for president.

Echoing a theme in his new book, 鈥淜eeping the Republic,鈥� Daniels said that merely winning the 2012 presidential race is not enough. 鈥淲inning the next election without having really prepared the country and maybe rally the country to do some big things, would be a huge lost opportunity,鈥� Daniels said.