Texas Gov. Rick Perry came out swinging at the final debate before the Iowa caucuses Thursday, attempting to counter the perception that he is a weak debater by comparing himself to Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos.
When Fox News moderator Neil Cavuto asked Perry to allay Republicans' concerns that he would be able to take on President Obama in a debate, Perry said that the forums were actually beginning to grow on him.
I'm kind of getting where I like the debates. As a matter of fact, I hope Obama and I debate a lot. I'll get there early. We will get it on, and we will talk about our differences, which are great. I'll talk about what we have done in the state of Texas and talk about passing a balanced budget amendment to the United States Congress. I'll talk about having the type of part-time Congress that I think Americans are ready for.
You know, there are a lot of people out there -- I understand it. There are a lot of folks that said Tim Tebow wasn't going to be a very good NFL quarterback. There are people that stood up and said well, he doesn't have the right throwing mechanisms, or he doesn't -- you know, he is not playing the game right. You know, he won two national championships, and that looked pretty good.
We're the national champions in job creation back in Texas. But am i ready for the next level? Let me tell you -- I hope I am the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.
The quote is sure to join the list of highlights from Perry's past debate performances. Others include when he was unable to remember the three federal departments he wanted to eliminate and when he talked about how much he could and could not be bought for by a private company.