By CHRIS GOOD ( @c_good )

NOTABLES

• RICK PERRY IS ON TO NEW HAMPSHIRE: Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been defiant in the face of his recent indictment, and he's taking laps around the nation's major political destinations. Having visited D.C. for a speech at Heritage yesterday, Perry is now on to New Hampshire for a series of events Friday and Saturday, including an Americans for Prosperity event tonight and a state GOP rally tomorrow morning, ABC's Arlette Saenz reports.

• …AND THEN ON TO SOUTH CAROLINA. The tour continues on Wednesday with a stop in S.C. the night before his Texas A&M Aggies play their first game of the college football season against the South Carolina Gamecocks. He'll tailgate with supporters to raise money for the S.C. GOP, ABC's Jeff Zeleny reports.

• ICYMI: PERRY 'CONFIDENT' IN HIS CASE, CONNECTS ISIS TO U.S./MEXICO BORDER. ABC's Arlette Saenz reports on Perry's appearance in D.C. yesterday: In a speech at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, Perry connected the border crisis to ISIS, warning that terror groups could cross the border between the U.S. and Mexico. "I think it's a very real possibility they may have already used that," Perry said, referring to the border. "We have a serious issue facing this country and the security of our citizens. We need to be very vigilant. We have to be using every authority that we have." … "I am very confident in my case and I can assure you I will fight this attack on our system of government," Perry told the group of conservatives. "I aim to defend our constitution and stand up for the rule of law in the state of Texas." http://abcn.ws/1p0JdFO

THIS WEEK ON 'THIS WEEK': House Homeland Security Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, discusses the latest on the threat from ISIS and the execution of American journalist James Foley. Plus, the powerhouse roundtable debates all the week's politics, with Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Maryland, ABC News contributor and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, and ABC News contributor and former Obama White House senior adviser David Plouffe. Be sure to use #ThisWeek when you tweet about the program. Tune in Sunday: http://abcnews.go.com/thisweek

THE ROUNDTABLE

ABC's RICK KLEIN: There's little special anymore about a Mitt Romney speech, or a Paul Ryan event, at this stage. But Romney and Ryan together? Maybe they're on to something… Last night's joint appearance in Chicago - their first since 2012 - was a reminder that for all of the flaws of the GOP's 2012 presidential campaign, the ticket itself wasn't one of them. Democrats quickly portrayed the pairing as a flashback to the past. But it's a past that polls suggest the public would be ready to revisit. Ryan's (re-)endorsement of Romney isn't particularly helpful, since Romney won't run a third time and knows he looks better from afar than up close. Yet joint appearances by Romney and Ryan serve the purpose Ryan has been talking about: the need to offer alternatives, not just opposition. Maybe it's not impossible to get this band back together for a while.

ABC/YAHOO! VIDEO: VACATIONER IN CHIEF? In the latest installment of "Top Line," ABC's Rick Klein and Olivier Knox point out that, aside from his many rounds of golf, President Obama's Martha's Vineyard vacation was more notable for its crises and interruptions. Now that he's preparing to return, the president might want a vacation from his vacation. Watch: http://yhoo.it/1BJKXxc

MONITORING: OBAMA'S FRONTS

• UKRAINE CONFLICT HEATS UP: ABC's Kirit Radia reports: After a week of diplomatic delays, Russia has decided to send its massive aid convoy into Ukraine without permission from Ukrainian authorities, bringing new potential dangers: in a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned against provocations against the convoy. In other words, if it comes under fire, it could provide pretext for Russian military intervention. The roughly 280 white trucks are carrying water, tents, generators, and food for hard-hit eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian and Western authorities have viewed the convoy suspiciously, believing it could be a Trojan horse. Last night, the first trucks entered the customs area as it appeared their passage would be allowed. But, now Russia says talks broke down last night as Ukraine stepped up shelling in the area.

• WHO IS ISIS? Read ABC's deep dive into the jihadist group's origins and development. ABC's Lee Ferran reports: ISIS has grown from relative obscurity in recent years to overshadow its extremist patrons. It now terrorizes large swaths of Syria and Iraq, has become the target of the largest U.S. military operation in Iraq in years and, with the public, cold-blooded execution of an American journalist, now dominates headlines the world over. http://abcn.ws/1rouSL7

• SECRET RESCUE MISSION WAS 'FLAWLESS,' EXCEPT NO ONE WAS RESCUED. From ABC's James Gordon Meek and Lee Ferran: A large contingent of American special operations forces was able to sneak into an ISIS camp near the terror group's stronghold in Syria in search of American hostages, but quickly withdrew when it became clear that while 100 or so armed terrorists were there, the hostages weren't, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the then-secret mission. The official provided ABC News with new, dramatic details of the raid earlier this summer to grab Americans including journalist James Foley, a mission that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Thursday was "flawless" except that no one was rescued. http://abcn.ws/1vnZpGI

THE BUZZ, with ABC'S SCOTT WILSON ( @sfwilso )

EX GOV. MCDONNELL TAKES STAND, REVEALS BLEAK MARRIAGE IN CORRUPTION TRIAL. Facing corruption charges, former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell characterized his marriage in stunningly bleak terms, taking the witness stand for a second consecutive day to discuss a marriage that, as he describes it, was filled with yelling, unpleasantness, and distance, ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE reports. McDonnell is on trial in Virginia over gifts his family received from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams, who has testified that he believes he was granted access and a platform at the governor's mansion to promote a nutritional supplement, in exchange for gifts that included a $20,000 shopping spree for Maureen McDonnell, the governor's wife, and $15,000 for the wedding catering of the McDonnell's daughter, Cailin. The total amount of lavish gifts, vacations, and cash loans is at least $165,000. A deteriorated marriage and evidence of emotional distance is a key to McDonnell's defense, which has contended that Bob and Maureen McDonnell were too far separated by marital differences to have collaborated on a quid pro quo for Williams in exchange for his gifts. http://abcn.ws/1BHITWA

WHY CONTROL OF THE SENATE MAY NOT BE KNOWN UNTIL DECEMBER. ABC's Jordyn Phelps reports: It could all come down to Louisiana, where Sen. Mary Landrieu is facing Rep. Bill Cassidy in one of the nation's most competitive races. Louisiana has what's referred to informally as a "jungle primary," where all qualified candidates run at once on Nov. 4, and if no one candidate wins over 51 percent of the vote, the election will proceed to a Dec. 6 runoff between the two candidates with the most votes. Increasing the chances of a runoff is the presence of tea-party favorite Col. Rob Maness, who could draw enough votes to extend the race for an extra month. http://abcn.ws/1ADxEgj

ICE-BUCKET BUZZKILL: LAWMAKERS, TOP GOV'T OFFICIALS CAN'T PARTICIPATE. Government officials may soon find themselves in hot water if they continue to insist on dumping buckets of ice on their heads, notes ABC's SCOTT WILSON. Participation in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has swept the country in recent weeks-and has even reached the halls of Congress. From Sen. Ted Cruz's theatrical ice bucket dumping to Sen. Lisa Murkowski's plunge into the frigid Alaskan waters, politicians across the United States are seizing the opportunity to get drenched for charity. Even Vice President Biden tweeted about the ALS Challenge-though he opted out of the ice water. But unfortunately for our nation's charity-loving federal officials-it appears that promoting a private charity through official communications might be against the law. Thursday the Associated Press obtained a State Department cable telling high-ranking officials that they are not permitted to participate in the ALS Challenge, because it violate ethics regulations. "There are firmly established rules preventing the use of public office, such as our ambassadors, for private gain, no matter how worthy a cause," the cable said. http://abcn.ws/1pjwEus

IN THE NOTE'S INBOX

REP. HULTGREN: WHAT I SAW IN ISRAEL: In a Sun-Times op-ed, the Illinois Republican recounts a recent trip to Jerusalem and concludes: "Israeli leaders are forced every day to make hard choices about what needs to be done to protect their citizens and their way of life. …There are no easy answers here. But across the political spectrum of the leaders we met, all are united in their belief that they have a right to exist and thrive. In Israel, I learned that this tiny nation isn't looking to expand - just to survive. And they have been helped along by the friendship of the United States." http://bit.ly/VHJHtI

WHO'S TWEETING?

@DianeSawyer Celebrating @bensherwood tonight - for all he has done and will do as he moves to LA. Great adventures ahead pic.twitter.com/MF0XFcz9rq

@ThePlumLineGS Nice catch by @samsteinhp: Rand Paul, who hopes to make GOP more inclusive, comes out for deporting the DREAMers http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/21/rand-paul-daca_n_5698503.html …

@jamesgibney Eisenhower golfed his way thru Cold War, civil rights disturbances, etc. (800 times) - let's give Obama a Mulligan on this one and move on.

@TexasTribune A week after @GovernorPerry's indictment, the legal case begins. @tlangford: http://trib.it/1pX9QjK #PerryIndicted

@ezraklein Barack Obama makes a lot of congressional Democrats miss Bill Clinton: http://bit.ly/1mm1lu3