The Midday Brief: Oct. 27, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "The Times asked the other campaigns how they felt about Mr. Perry’s plans, and whether they would follow suit, with the campaign of Rick Santorum being the most vocal in taking on the Texas governor. 'I thought Texas Governors were supposed to be tough,' said J. Hogan Gidley, an aide to Mr. Santorum. 'How can Governor Perry expect anyone to trust he can take on Obama and the Democratic machine, when he thinks debating his fellow Republicans is too tough? This just shows he doesn’t have what it takes to lead the American people in taking back our Country in 2012.'" — The Other Campaigns Chime In on Perry and Debates, The New York Times

• "It’s not clear whether Sullivan (and Perry) are simply lodging a sort of public protest against the growing number of debates or whether the campaign is serious about the possibility of the Texas governor taking a pass. If it’s the latter, it’s a very bad idea, according to conversations with a handful of unaligned Republican strategists." — Rick Perry skipping debates? Bad idea jeans., The Washington Post

• "If Perry skips most of the rest of the debates, spend his time campaigning instead, and goes on to win the Republican nomination, he could set a precedent that the networks would hate, but it might change the future of American politics." — Could Perry’s dismissal of debates change American politics?, BurkaBlog
  

• "Ted Cruz, the former Texas solicitor general and tea party favorite for the Republican nomination for Senate, has been focusing some of his harshest campaign trail rhetoric on that longtime villain of those suspicious of U.S. internationalism: The Council on Foreign Relations. … The candidate's wife, Heidi S. Cruz, was an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations until this June." — A pit of vipers; also, his wife, Politico

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "More than a dozen current and former lawmakers, prosecutors, judges, police officers and even a former Texas governor sent a letter today calling on Gov. Rick Perry to allow for DNA testing death row inmate Hank Skinner says could prove his innocence." — Officials Urge Perry to Halt Skinner Execution

• "Nearly 62,500 more students enrolled in colleges and universities in Texas this fall than did in 2010, according to preliminary enrollment data released today by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board." — Enrollment in Texas Higher Education Continues to Climb