WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, who admits he is not the “slickest” debater, may not participate in all the remaining 2012 debates because there are so many.

Perry communications director Ray Sullivan said what many campaigns have been saying privately — that the number of debates is taking away from actual campaigning and that there is no way to do all of them.

The Texas governor, perhaps more than other candidates, has ample reason to stay away from some debates, however.

He has struggled in four out of the five debates he has participated in so far, a contributing factor in his fall from the front-runner position.

A CBS/New York Times poll of Republican voters this week gave him only 6 percent support nationally, putting him in fifth place.

There have been eight debates already and at least 10 more are in the works as the 2012 calendar heads toward the start of actual voting in early January to decide the Republican presidential nominee. The next debate is planned for November 9 in Michigan.

“While well-intentioned, the sheer number of debates takes valuable time away from meeting with actual voters, especially those in the early states like Iowa and New Hampshire,” Sullivan said.

, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Republican Rick Perry proposed a broad economic plan on Tuesday centered on letting Americans pay a flat 20 percent income tax rate in a bid to restore the luster to his fading presidential campaign.

The Texas governor’s challenge in regaining the attention of influential conservative voters in the race to decide the Republican presidential nominee in 2012 was underscored by a new CBS/New York Times poll.

It said Perry stands at 6 percent, down from 12 percent earlier this month, trailing four other contenders led by businessman Herman Cain with 25 percent support and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 21 percent.

Perry’s flat tax proposal, which he said would allow Americans to file their taxes on a postcard, is his answer to Cain’s simple 9-9-9 plan and distinguishes himself from Romney, who has said a flat tax would benefit the rich.

Speaking at a plastics plant, Perry waved a sample postcard-sized tax return form and stood near a pallet stacked with boxes about five feet high that he said represents the current complicated tax code.

“It is time to pass a tax that is flat and fair and frees our people to invest and grow and prosper,” Perry said in South Carolina, where conservative voters are dominant and a state Perry would need to win for any chance at the nomination.

Perry’s plan reflected conservative goals of seeking less government involvement in Americans’ affairs. He would cut government spending, attempt to balance the budget by 2020, and overhaul the Social Security program for retirees by letting younger workers invest a portion of their payroll taxes into a market-based pension system.

, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Republican Rick Perry proposed a broad economic plan on Tuesday centered on letting Americans pay a flat 20 percent income tax rate that he hopes will reinvigorate his fading presidential campaign.

Perry’s challenge in regaining the attention of influential conservative voters in the race to decide the Republican presidential nominee in 2012 was underscored by a new CBS/New York Times poll.

It said Perry stands at 6 percent, down from 12 percent earlier this month, lagging four other contenders led by businessman Herman Cain with 25 percent support and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 21 percent.

Perry’s flat tax proposal, which he said would allow Americans to file their taxes on a postcard, is his answer to Cain’s simple 9-9-9 plan and distinguishes himself from Romney, who has said a flat tax would benefit the wealthy.

The Texas governor was laying out his “cut, balance and grow” plan on Tuesday in a speech at a South Carolina plastics factory, where conservative voters are dominant and a state Perry would need to win for any chance at the nomination.

Perry gave a preview of his plan in a Wall Street Journal opinion article. The aim is to generate the economic growth to create jobs and reduce America’s 9.1 percent unemployment rate. That is the key issue in the 2012 campaign and the reason why Democratic President Barack Obama is considered beatable.

Perry would give Americans a choice: pay a 20 percent flat tax or keep their current rate. To blunt criticism that a flat tax would cut taxes on the wealthy and increase them on the middle-class, he offered some sweeteners.

GREENVILLE, South Carolina (Reuters) – Republican Rick Perry outlined a broad economic proposal on Monday to let Americans pay a flat 20 percent income tax rate and allow corporations to bring profits home from abroad at a discount.

The Texas governor is to lay out the “cut, balance and grow” plan on Tuesday in a speech in a Greenville suburb, part of an effort to recapture the imagination of conservatives still looking for an alternative to Republican front-runner Mitt Romney to challenge President Barack Obama in next year’s presidential election.

Perry laid out his plan in a Wall Street Journal opinion article. The aim is to generate the economic growth to create jobs and reduce America’s 9.1 percent unemployment rate. That is the key issue in the 2012 campaign and the reason why Democrat Obama is considered beatable.

Perry would give Americans a choice: pay a 20 percent flat tax or keep their current rate. To blunt criticism that a flat tax would cut taxes on the wealthy and increase them on the middle-class, he offered some sweeteners.

His proposal would preserve popular tax deductions for home mortgage interest, charitable donations and state and local tax exemptions for families earning less than $500,000 a year.

Perry is proposing the plan after consultations with Steve Forbes, the Republican who offered a flat tax plan in 1996 when he ran a losing race for the party’s presidential nomination. Forbes endorsed Perry on Monday.

Perry would lower the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. He would give corporations with a total in profits of $1.4 trillion overseas to pay a discounted tax rate of 5.25 percent temporarily to encourage swift repatriation of the money.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama delivered on another foreign policy promise on Friday with plans to pull the last U.S. troops from Iraq. But in a re-election campaign all about the weak U.S. economy, he may not get much credit.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi — these are all dead U.S. opponents that Democrat Obama can claim a measure of credit for getting.

Now add to that Obama’s announcement on Friday that the eight-year war in Iraq is ending, fulfilling a campaign goal he made in 2008 when he declared the conflict a misguided mistake by his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.

In any other year, Obama might be able to ride these accomplishments to re-election in November 2012. But with the economy teetering and Americans hungry for jobs, the national security successes may only inoculate him from Republican criticism of his foreign policy.

Democratic strategist Bob Shrum said Obama has shown a decisiveness and coolness of character that will help him in 2012, when Obama is seeking a second term in office. And he called it proof that Obama was able to do the job that his chief opponent for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton, said he could not with a famous TV ad.

“We now know the answer to the question of whether he’s good at answering the phone when it rings at 3 a.m. to tell him there’s a crisis,” said Shrum, who was 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s campaign manager.

But will voters care?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama delivered on another foreign policy promise on Friday with plans to pull the last U.S. troops from Iraq. But in a re-election campaign all about the weak U.S. economy, he may not get much credit.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi — these are all dead U.S. opponents that Obama can claim a measure of credit for getting.

Now add to that Obama’s announcement on Friday that the eight-year war in Iraq is ending, fulfilling a campaign goal he made in 2008 when he declared the conflict a misguided mistake by his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.

In any other year, Obama might be able to ride these accomplishments to re-election in November 2012. But with the economy teetering and Americans hungry for jobs, the national security successes may only inoculate him from Republican criticism of his foreign policy.

Democratic strategist Bob Shrum said Obama has shown a decisiveness and coolness of character that will help him in 2012, when Obama is seeking a second term in office. And he called it proof that Obama was able to do the job that his chief opponent for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton, said he could not with a famous TV ad.

“We now know the answer to the question of whether he’s good at answering the phone when it rings at 3 a.m. to tell him there’s a crisis,” said Shrum, who was 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s campaign manager.

But will voters care?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tempers flared anew between the warring camps of Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry based on dueling videos, a sign of their deep-seated antipathy toward each other.

The tensions are reflective of the competing candidacies of two starkly different politicians: Romney the wealthy former governor of Massachusetts and former business executive, and Perry the confident Texas governor with a swagger.

As evidenced by their finger-pointing confrontation at a Las Vegas debate on Tuesday, there are no warm feelings between the two. They talked over each other and when Romney put his hand on Perry’s shoulder during one tense exchange, Perry glared in anger at his opponent.

The Romney campaign released a video late on Wednesday entitled “Ready to Lead?”

It includes Perry comments from debates when he appears to be struggling to string a sentence together.

In return, the Perry side launched a video called “Misleading” that criticizes Romney for his record on healthcare and for letting illegal immigrants mow his lawn.

Romney’s development of a healthcare system for Massachusetts has been cited by President Barack Obama as a model for his U.S. overhaul, which conservatives want to repeal.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry said on Wednesday he will propose a flat tax as part of an overhaul of the U.S. tax code as he seeks to claw his way back to the top tier of the 2012 race.

A day after a bruising debate with his rivals for his party’s presidential nomination, the Texas governor told participants at a conference of Western Republicans that he will outline his economic growth package next week.

He has a speech planned for October 25 in South Carolina, the state where he first announced his candidacy in August and which holds an important early contest in the road to the Republican nomination.

“I want to make the tax code so simple that even Timothy Geithner can file his taxes on time,” Perry said, referring to President Barack Obama’s treasury secretary, who was famously late in filing tax returns.

Perry jumped into the front-runner position when he announced his candidacy two months ago. But a series of shaky debates has left him trailing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and businessman Herman Cain in the race to pick the Republican candidate who will challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in November 2012.

Perry exchanged sharp blows with Romney at the CNN-sponsored debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night in an acrimonious exchange over illegal immigration that generated front-page headlines and photographs.

Without mentioning Romney by name, Perry told the Western Republicans that he was not the establishment candidate, but was a true conservative. The Texan wants to re-establish himself as the alternative to Romney — a distinction that, at least temporarily, has been filled by Cain.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Republican U.S. presidential candidate Rick Perry said on Wednesday he will propose a flat tax as part of an overhaul of the U.S. tax code as he seeks to claw his way back to the top tier of the 2012 race.

A day after a bruising debate with his rivals for his party’s presidential nomination, the Texas governor told participants at a conference of Western Republicans that he will outline his economic growth package next week.

He has a speech planned for October 25 in South Carolina, the state where he first announced his candidacy in August and which holds an important early contest in the road to the Republican nomination.

“I want to make the tax code so simple that even Timothy Geithner can file his taxes on time,” Perry said, referring to President Barack Obama’s treasury secretary, who was famously late in filing tax returns.

Perry jumped into the front-runner position when he announced his candidacy two months ago. But a series of shaky debates has left him trailing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and businessman Herman Cain in the race to pick the Republican candidate who will challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in November 2012.

Perry exchanged sharp blows with Romney at the CNN-sponsored debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night in an acrimonious exchange over illegal immigration that generated front-page headlines and photographs.

Without mentioning Romney by name, Perry told the Western Republicans that he was not the establishment candidate, but was a true conservative. The Texan wants to re-establish himself as the alternative to Romney — a distinction that, at least temporarily, has been filled by Cain.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – A confident Mitt Romney criticized his Republican rivals and fended off attacks on immigration and healthcare on Tuesday at a debate that could help reinstall him as the party’s presidential front-runner.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, overshadowed businessman Herman Cain and Texas Governor Rick Perry, his two main challengers for the nomination to take on President Barack Obama in 2012.

Seeking to convince sceptical conservatives to get behind him, Romney fought off attacks from Perry, who brought up an old charge that he hired illegal immigrants to cut his lawn.

After a testy exchange, Romney hit back.

“Texas has had a 60 percent increase in illegal immigrants in Texas. If there’s someone who has a record as governor with regards to illegal immigration that doesn’t stand up to muster, it’s you, not me,” he said.

Polls show Romney has the best chance of any Republican of defeating Obama, whose approval ratings have dropped as he struggles to revive the economy and cut the unemployment rate from 9 percent.

But pizza magnate Cain has headed recent polls of Republicans, many of whom think Romney is not conservative enough to deserve the nomination.