Rick Perry officially announces presidential bid

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Texas Governor Rick Perry has announced his bid for the 2012 Republican nomination.

"I declare to you today as a candidate for President of the United States," Perry told a friendly crowd in South Carolina, host to the nation's third presidential primary.

"It's time to get America working again," Perry said in a speech laden with criticism of President Barack Obama and his economic and foreign policies.

Rick Perry enters presidential race with Obama broadside

"Page one of any economic plan to get American working is to give a pink slip to the current residents in the White House," Perry said.

Perry said one in six Americans are unemployed or underemployed, working only part time while wanting full time work.

"This sure doesn't feel like a recovery," he said. "Recovery is a meaningless word if the bank has foreclosed on your home."

Perry cited his ten-year record as governor as one basis for his campaign, saying that 40-percent of the nation's new jobs since June 2009 have been created in Texas.

"America is not broken, Washington, D.C. is broken," Perry said.

He vowed tax simplification, to repeal Obama's health care reform, and to curb government spending.

"There is no taxpayer money that wasn't first earned by the sweat and toil of one of our citizens," he said.