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Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the new darling of the Republican presidential nomination field, likes to talk a good game on a wealth of issues that resonate with the party’s conservative base.

But, as the governor of a “border state,” one issue where he seemingly has an advantage over his rivals is immigration, or better stated, illegal immigration. And, the record of his rhetoric would seem to support that notion — for the most part.

As early as 2001, Gov. Perry was insisting the federal government should be solely responsible for criminal repatriation (deportation) of illegal aliens. He also said the cost of illegal immigration should be shared between the federal government and the states.

But, he also thought it was perfectly OK to import farm workers from Mexico, so they might perform menial labor no American worker would want to do. And, he bragged about Texas being the first state to grant in-state tuition breaks to the children of illegal aliens who went to a Texas college or university.

“Educacion es el futuro, y si se puede,” he said. “Education is the future, and yes we can.”

But that statement is largely overshadowed by contrary statements he has made, particularly those he made during his “State of the State” addresses to the Texas State Legislature, in the years that followed.

In 2007, during his State of the State Address, he said: “I am proposing a $100 million investment in a more secure border. There is no such thing as homeland security without border security.

“It is not hyperbole to say terrorists view our international border with Mexico as a prime point of entry — that is the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community.”

That all sounds very “textbook conservative,” almost “Reaganesque.” But that isn’t all Gov. Perry had to say on the issue.

“While the vast majority of people who come here illegally are economic immigrants simply seeking a better life…”

It’s the very small comment that gets missed in the rest of the statement, which sheds an immense amount of light upon his true views on immigration. More on this later.

From there, Gov. Perry quickly gets back on a conservative tack, hitting the key phrases his base wanted to hear.

“…the small percentage seeking to cause us harm don’t dress differently. Nor do they put out press advisories in advance of their arrival. They don’t want us to know they are here until they have done mortal damage to our people,” he said. “I support strategic fencing in urban areas along the border. But I also believe, like border sheriffs, that the best solution involves added manpower, not unmanned walls.”

To which the record shows he received a standing ovation.

Fast-forward another two years, and Gov. Perry is once again addressing the Texas State Legislature, this time with an agenda steadfastly opposed to “sanctuary cities,” where illegals flock in droves because local authorities refuse to enforce federal immigration laws. Once again, his rhetoric is largely textbook conservative.

“As we continue to strengthen our border, we must also consider the essential role that federal immigration policy, or the lack thereof, plays in the safety of our citizens and the integrity of our state,” he said. “I also support an end to the notion of sanctuary cities. Local government sends the wrong message when they pick and choose what laws they want their peace officers to enforce.”

Gov. Perry went on to pledge his support for voter identification laws, and tracking the citizenship status of those receiving state-funded services. He argued these efforts were “common sense approaches to protecting our citizens’ lives and resources, as well as our state’s integrity.”

Once again, he played it up for his base. And, his base responded by making him the longest-serving governor in Texas history. So, it’s probably pretty easy to see why he might try that same tactic in his current run for the White House.

So, let’s fast forward two more years, to just this past month, when Gov. Perry made his first campaign stop in Iowa at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo. Once again, he was speaking to his “base,” in this case, members of the Black Hawk Republican Party.

“Two months ago, the President of the United States came to El Paso, Texas, to give a political speech, stood on the border and said that the border between Texas and Mexico was safer than it had ever been in its history. Now I don’t know what history books he’s reading, but it’s not the ones I know and it’s not the border I know.

“We’re spending $150 million-plus in our two-year budget in Texas to supplement the Border Patrol, to supplement the local sheriffs, to supplement state law enforcement. I put our Texas Ranger Recon teams on the Rio Grande to assist with what is, on many places along that border, a war zone. We are outgunned.

“There are places on the U.S.-Mexico border where the drug cartels have operational control. We’re starting to see that violence is washing over into the United States. We know there are transnational gangs that are operating in the State of Texas.”

The gist of the comments was there cannot be a conversation about immigration policy until the border is secure. He pledged, if elected President of the United States, he would mobilize the military, until such time the Border Patrol was adequately trained, to secure the border.

He also pledged to sit down for talks with whomever the new president of Mexico will be in 2013 to strike a dialogue of “cooperation” regarding the border and the drug cartels.

“Frankly, if they don’t work with us, Mexico has the potential to be a very, very big problem,” he added. “But we can, and we will.”

The irony that this speech took place mere feet from where the trials in the biggest immigration raid in U.S. history took place is only overshadowed by the irony of Perry’s own record on cracking down on cross-border crime and violence. To date, he doesn’t really have one.

In 2005, Edwards County deputy sheriff Gilmer Hernandez found himself in a situation in which a border-crossing truck attempted to run him over. He fired his weapon, shooting out two tires of the truck to bring it to a stop.

He was arrested, tried by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, convicted, and sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison.

The following year, Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean intercepted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila (a repeat offender as a “mule” for the drug cartels) who was attempting to cross the border at El Paso with 800 lbs. of marijuana in a van. When the agents attempted to take him into custody, he fought with them and tried to run away, back to Mexico.

In his attempt to flee, Aldrete-Davila pointed a gun at Ramos and Compean, who returned fire. He still made it back across the border, but apparently was hit by one of the BP agents’ bullets in one of his buttocks.

When the Mexican government complained, the USA for the Western District of Texas once again prosecuted, winning another conviction (even though Aldrete-Davilia had once again been arrested for drug running at the border) and 11- and 12-year sentences for the BP agents. President George W. Bush commuted their sentences after they had been incarcerated for more than two years.

Given the aforementioned rhetoric, how do you suppose Gov. Perry — the Governor of Texas when both of these incidents happened — reacted? It would probably be most enlightening to look at the case of one more defender of our national liberty: Border Patrol agent Jesus Diaz.

Diaz, otherwise known as “Chito,” was on duty during the early-morning hours of Oct. 16, 2008, when he responded to a call in the Eagle Pass area that a group of illegal aliens were attempting to cross the border into Texas. He was not alone on the call, but when the illegals scattered, he apprehended one, while his fellow agents tracked down the others.

It was quickly discovered this was yet another group of “mules,” each loaded with about 150 lbs. of marijuana in their backpacks. As his colleagues pursued the other drug smugglers, Diaz was left to deal with a very unruly suspect who became uncooperative and was resisting arrest.

So, he did what he was trained to do. He “lifted” the handcuffs, applying upward pressure as means to subdue the subject. Once again, the USA for the Western District of Texas prosecuted, and so far, Agent Diaz has been spending 23 hours of the day in solitary confinement, seeing his wife — who also is a BP agent — twice a week for 20 minutes at a time, separated by a thick piece of Plexiglas.

He has yet to actually be convicted of a crime, yet the treatment he’s endured would qualify for most people as certainly “cruel and unusual.”

So, Diana Guadarama-Diaz, Chito’s wife, did what any Texan would do in this situation. She asked her governor who has talked tough on border security and supporting the Border Patrol, Rick Perry.

The response from his office is nothing short of heartrending.

“Thank you for contacting the Office of the Governor.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal agency over which Governor Perry has no jurisdiction. Additionally, in accordance with provisions of the Constitution, Governor Perry has no authority to intervene in legal or judicial matters such as this. Any attempts to address court-related issues would therefore be more appropriately directed through legal and judicial channels.

“We wish you and your family the best. Please write to our office whenever we can be of assistance.”

Now, granted, the letter was written by Dede Keith, director of the Constituent Communication Division in the Office of the Governor in Austin. But, this is an expression of the Governor’s position on the matter and, ostensibly, other cases like it.

There once was a man many people still consider to be great, who suggested Americans, regardless of the color of their skin, should be judged by the “content of their character.” As we vet our candidates for President of the United States, perhaps this is one indicator of character we should consider.

For in the case of Gov. Rick Perry, it would seem actions — or, in this case, inaction — really does speak louder than the words of his rhetoric.

If you’re reading this, thank a teacher. If you’re reading it in English, thank a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine.