Perry: Washington shouldn't dictate how to live

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry is telling students at the nation's largest evangelical university that they should raise their voices to keep Washington politicians from telling them how to live their lives.

Perry used Wednesday's speech at Liberty University to boost his presidential bid, at a time when he's fending off criticism from his GOP rivals.

Other candidates are hammering him for trying to require girls to receive a vaccine against a sexually transmitted disease and for backing tuition breaks for illegal immigrants.

Perry's remarks on campus largely overlooked such criticism. Instead he's urging students to stay faithful and trust in God. He also says the policy debates of today will affect the students' futures.