After Setbacks, Perry Takes the Long View CARROLL, Iowa - On his first campaign stop of the day on Monday, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas was introduced by a supporter as "the next governor of the United States." The flub was perhaps fitting: In his final day of campaigning before the Iowa caucuses, Mr. Perry emphasized his experience as Texas's chief executive, suggesting state government there - and his efforts to create jobs and rein in lawsuits - was a model for the kind of administration he would run as president. Accompanied by a dozen Texas lawmakers, Mr. Perry boasted of slashing Texas spending, deploying state troopers to the Mexican border, and governing in collaboration with home-state Democrats. He promised to push for constitutional amendments to balance the federal budget and reduce Congress to a part-time Legislature. And he lit into his Republican opponents as a crowd of Washington insiders tainted by the federal government's failures to budget responsibly and control the country's borders. An outsider to go into Washington, D.C. An outsider who's not tainted by how they've always done business in Washington. An outsider who's not tainted by that connection to Wall Street," Mr. Perry said, describing his credentials before a receptive crowd at a vineyard showroom here. Just a few months ago, Mr. Perry entered the race as a and quickly moved to the top of the polls, with the benefit of being a proven fundraiser and three-term governor of the country's second-largest state. But as Iowa Republicans prepare for the first caucus contest of the nominating season, Mr. Perry remains stubbornly mired in the second tier of candidates, fighting for the allegiance of conservative caucus-goers who remain skeptical of Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and Representative Ron Paul, the two men who lead many recent polls show in Iowa. Mr. Perry attacked Mr. Paul Monday for his isolationist views on foreign policy, suggesting that "when Ron Paul is further to the left then Barack Obama, that should tell you something." And he singled out Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and conservative culture warrior, as "the king of earmarks" during his time in the Senate. "I love Iowa pork," Mr. Perry added. But I hate Washington pork. The presidential race, Mr. Perry suggested, would be a marathon, not a spring. And among the self-styled conservative candidates in the race, Mr. Perry said, only he had the money and organization to take on Mr. Obama. "Isaiah said, "Here am I - send me," said Mr. Perry, invoking Scripture. This is your country. Take it back.