Rick Perry is on a two-day swing through New Hampshire testing the waters for what most agree is a probable presidential run.
Perry's 2012 aspirations fizzled following a nationally televised debate when he pulled a blank and couldn't remember the third point he was trying to make - a flub he made light of in his speech Thursday, starting off by saying he wanted to make three points very clear.
The joke seemed to go past most who were more keyed into his comments about ISIS and his criticism of Obama.
"The American people see a President who is in denial about the threats that we face - making grave miscalculations that make the world less safe," Perry said.
He blasted Obama for his negotiations with Iran over the country's nuclear program.
Asked if he would have signed the letter that 47 Republican Senators just sent to Iranian leadership saying the deal could expire when Obama leaves office, Perry said, "I'm not a US Senator, but I signed that letter because I happen to believe that there are some things that are too important not to frankly find compromise on."
Perry led with foreign policy, but many Republicans think his real strong suit in a presidential run is his record at home in Texas, where he touts 14 years of balanced budgets, never skipping a debt payment and never having raised taxes.
Politics
"He brought 1.4 million jobs to Texas, he's brought a lot of new business there. That's absolutely the platform he needs to run on," Republican political consultant Meredith Warren said.
Veteran Republican political consultant Tom Rath believes one candidate will break out from the ideologically right-leaning group of candidates, and that Perry could be the one.
"I thought it was a very strong presentation for him, significantly different and more together than it was four years ago," Rath said.
Some think Perry has softened some of his positions since his last go-around.
"I'm a little surprised that he wasn't so staunch in his conservative views - yah I do think he has moderated a little bit," said Brian Parson of Manchester.
Perry says he will decide whether to run in May or June.
He is just one of several big-name Republicans visiting New Hampshire in the next few days. Jeb Bush and Scott Walker arrive on Friday for 2-day visits, and Ted Cruz is scheduled to be in the Granite State on Sunday and Monday.
