President Perry? Texas Governor to “Think About it”

Rick Perry

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Friday he is considering a run for the Republican nomination in 2012, saying he'll decide after the current legislative session ends next week.

"Yes sir, I'm going to think about it," Perry said in a response to a question from a reporter, "but I think about a lot of things," he added with a grin.

Laughter ensued.

It's a reversal, of sorts. Gov. Perry has said many times that he would not run for the White House, as recently as last Wednesday to Fox News' Greta Van Susteren.

"Why have you changed your mind? " a reporter asked.

"I didn't say I was running, did I? " Perry quipped. "I'm going to think about it."

A spokeswoman tells Fox News, "The governor's focus remains on the final five days of the session. We still have a lot of important work to get done for the people of Texas. The governor has had no intention of running."

But a longtime Perry adviser tells Fox, "As he has said, all this attention would cause any human to think about his options...the media in Texas is laser-focused on this issue, and in any tea leaf as news."

Perry is the longest-serving governor in Texas history and won an unprecedented third four-year term last November.