Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been taking a lot of heat over some of the more controversial claims made in his 2010 small government treatise Fed Up! Our Fight To Save America From Washington.

The book is a fiery, anti-Washington treatise that lays bare Perry's ideas on the dangers of federal overreach and the primacy of the 10th Amendment. Incredulous pundits and reporters are heralding it as a virtual gold mine of opposition ammo for any 2012 candidate — Republican or Democrat — looking to torpedo Perry's White House bid.

In some ways, they are probably right. In the book, Perry affirms the death panel myth, lambastes, and calls Social Security a "Ponzi scheme" — and that's just a few of his incendiary claims.

But Perry does not appear to be shying away from the controversial positions he lays out in his book. During last night's GOP debate, he stood by his Ponzi scheme comparison, adding "maybe it's time to have some provocative language in this country."

Perry's fidelity to his book is an indication that he believes that the book's claims will resonate with the people who matter — American voters, who polls show are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the government's ability to get anything done.

Whether Fed Up! ends up being Perry's gift or his curse remains to be seen, but one thing about the book is certain: This is no ordinary — re: mind-numbingly boring — campaign memoir. It is an ideological manifesto that gives rare, unadulterated insight into how the presidential candidate, Perry, views the size and role of the federal government he now wants to lead.