U.S Trade Representative Ron Kirk – the former mayor of Dallas – waxed critically poetic about Texas Governor Rick Perry’s presidential run today.

“Too often the brightest stars are comets,” Kirk said. “But they flame out the fastest because they consume themselves on their own energy. I think there are some lessons to be learned there in life and in politics. How quickly and how brightly we burn.”

Kirk traveled with President Obama on Air Force One today to Mesquite, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, and made the remarks to reporters on Air Force One.

The former Texas secretary of state ran for US Senate from Texas in 2002, losing to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

-Jake Tapper