with the program through 4,500 rpm, which is where the stallions begin to stretch their long legs. The eight-speed manumatic then stretches out the sweetness over a very broad range. The first six gears key on performance; the top two are overdrives. The latter ease the engine’s thirst and bring relaxed highway cruising.

From here, power is fed to the road through the xDrive all-wheel-drive system. Under normal driving situations, 40% of the power is sent to the front wheels, the remainder to the rear. When needed, it can adopt an even 50/50 split. The beauty of the setup is a rear-drive feel without the tendency for the back end to snap out of line anywhere near as frequently as so many mega-horsepower rear-drivers. This brings remarkable civility toPerry presses for greater U.S. involvement in Iraq

Published: Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014 2:30 p.m. CST

Caption

Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014, saying that he would be open to sending U.S. combat forces to Iraq to fight. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday pressed for a more aggressive U.S. military response in Iraq to combat Islamic state militants, including a sustained air campaign, and signaled he would support sending American ground troops.

"We need to have all of our options open," Perry told a standing-room-only crowd at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

The potential 2016 presidential candidate dismissed the "limited" air strikes that President Barack Obama has ordered as insufficient as the U.S. tries to help Iraqi and