Perry: GOP Should Stop Apologizing

CBS reports:

Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry - a highly-buzzed-about potential GOP presidential candidate - said at the Republican Leadership Conference Saturday that Republicans should "stop apologizing" for taking conservative positions on social and fiscal issues.

"It saddens me when sometimes my fellow Republicans duck and cover in the face of pressure from the left," said Perry, referencing calls for a "truce" on social issues. He added: "Our party cannot be all things to all people."

"Our opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let's quit trying to curry favor with them," continued Perry.

He called on the party activists present to "stand up" and "speak with pride about our morals and our values ... let's stop this American downward spiral."

Perry, who is openly considering entering the 2012 race, was greeted enthusiastically by conference-goers, who applauded wildly for his criticisms of what he called the Obama administration's "mix of arrogance and audacity," which he deemed an "affront to every freedom-loving American."