Was Texas Governor Rick Perry for ObamaCare before he was against it? Today Perry rails against the healthcare law, calling it “the closest this country has ever come to outright socialism” in his 2010 book Fed Up, where he also declared the individual mandate “a total outrage.” If elected President, he says, he will use an executive order to repeal or block as much of ObamaCare as possible.

But 18 years ago, Perry, then Texas Agriculture Commissioner, penned a letter to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton that opened: “I think your efforts in trying to reform the nation’s health care system are most commendable.” Perry then asked Clinton to “give particular attention to the needs of the nation’s farmers, ranchers, agriculture workers, and other members of rural communities,” noting that many of them were uninsured and faced shortages of healthcare services. “Again,” Perry wrote in conclusion, “your efforts are worthy.... Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.”

The Daily Caller, which posted a copy of the letter, asked Perry’s presidential campaign about the candidate’s 1993 praise for “HillaryCare.”

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Photo of Gov. Rick Perry: AP Images