Perry, in White House Bully Pulpit, Teases the French and Vows to Make Nuclear ‘cool'

WASHINGTON -- The senior officials who spend the most time in the White House press room have grown a bit weary of it all --the jousting, the egos, the high wire act that could end with being chewed out in the Oval Office or mocked on late night television. Tuesday's guest star at the not-so-daily televised briefing couldn't get enough of it. Rick Perry, the energy secretary and former Texas governor, spent 40 minutes bantering with reporters. He eagerly defended President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate deal, despite his own misgivings about that move.He wisely sidestepped a question about whether he still believes that Trump is a "cancer on conservatism," as he asserted during the 2016 primaries. He boasted about his own job growth record in Texas, swatted away criticism of coal, fracking, nuclear power and his own nuanced and evolving stance on climate change, and poked fun at the French -- even as he averred that one of the Texas Republic's main allies know how to party.It was classic Perry and he must have felt pretty good about it, because the Energy Department's press shop later tweeted out a clip of the boss smiling and calling on someone, with the description, "[That feeling when] you nailed the White House press briefing."  Continue reading...