Rick Perry links fed chairman Bernanke to treason

Cedar Rapids - Texas Governor Rick Perry officially entered the presidential campaign on Saturday and wasting no time in creating hostilities, in response to a question on Monday, said Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is playing politics in a "treasonous" manner.

Speaking at a backyard Republican gathering in Iowa, Perry responded to the question of his thoughts on the Federal Reserve. “If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I don’t know what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we’d treat him pretty ugly down in Texas,” ABC News reports. Perry did not expand on what “pretty ugly” treatment would entail, but after the threat, he continued: “Printing more money, to play politics at this particular time in American history, is almost treacherous, uh, treasonous, in my opinion.” Perry mighty have done better in his response had he left it to his initial comment on the question: “I’ll take a pass on the Federal Reserve right at the moment to be real honest with you.” But it was not to be, and the election campaign’s first dagger has apparently been thrown. Response to Perry’s suggestion of treason has been rapid. Tony Fratto, former deputy press secretary for George W. Bush, took to Twitter, noting: “Gov. Perry’s comments about Chariman Bernanke are inappropriate and unpresidential,” The Hill reports. Nouriel Roubini, economics professor at NYU tweeted: “Perry’s remarks on Bernanke are criminal. This Texas thug is making murder threats on the Fed Chairman,” Politico reports. Defending his boss, Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan told the New York Times: “He is passionate about getting federal finances under control. They shouldn’t print more money. They should cut spending and move much more rapidly to a balanced budget.”