Is It Smart For Governor Rick Perry To Distance Himself From President George W. Bush? [POLL]

Governor Rick Perry is distancing himself from former President George W. Bush and some see that as a good thing. Others see it as a bad thing though and it might not be such a good idea to get a former President upset with you.

According to the NY Times, Perry has been blasting Bush for not being a true fiscal conservative. That argument might play toward the Tea Party crowd, but mainstream Republicans won't like it too much. According to the NY Times:

Those criticisms have burnished the Perry image as less prone to ideological compromise or a fuzzy “compassionate” brand of conservatism, an appealing trait to those Republican primary voters seeking purity in their nominee. And they have helped Mr. Perry escape the shadow of Mr. Bush, whose sponsorship, along with that of his chief political strategist, Karl Rove, was critical to Mr. Perry’s rise.

But it antagonized Mr. Bush’s old team, many of whom endorsed Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in her unsuccessful primary challenge to Mr. Perry last year. Some are indicating that they will oppose Mr. Perry should he join the presidential race with an anti-Bush message.

One close associate of the former president, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid a personal confrontation with the governor, warned Mr. Perry against establishing his own conservative bona fides by criticizing Mr. Bush, saying, “If you’re really trying to be the nominee and want to go the distance, you just don’t want the former president of the United States and his people working against you.”

Is Perry making the right moves? Let us know in today's LFN Poll of the Day.