Despite being asked by convention leaders to appear as state governor and not a presidential candidate, Gov. Rick Perry endorsed an aggressive foreign policy doctrine, including support for the concept of pre-emptive strikes, in his welcoming remarks Monday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention.

Speaking to thousands of veterans and other registrants at the Convention Center, Perry also strongly defended the United States' unilateral powers in declaring war.

“It's a dangerous world that we live in today,” Perry said. “As the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 9-11 approach, we must renew our commitment to taking the fight to the enemy, wherever they are, before they strike at home.”

Following some applause, he continued: “We respect our allies, and we must always seek to engage them in military missions. At the same time, we must be willing to act when it is time to act. We cannot concede the moral authority of our nation to multilateral debating societies. And when our interests are threatened, American soldiers should be led by American commanders.”

Those words received thunderous applause.

In his book “Fed Up!” Perry identifies a number of countries and issues that “require our attention and investment in defense capabilities.” His list includes China, Russia, India and “leftists in Latin America,” such as Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, in addition to the usual list of rogue states, including North Korea and Iran.

Convention leaders had asked Perry not to speak as a presidential candidate because his invitation had gone out before he announced he was seeking the GOP nomination.

“These were the governor's own words about what he thinks is in the best interest of our country,” Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier wrote in an email. “As with any event he is invited to attend as governor, he shares his views on issues he believes to be important to his audience, our state and our nation.”

In his speech, Perry made no mention of President Barack Obama, who did not accept an invitation to the convention. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak at the convention today.

The Obama administration's snub drew the anger of the veterans group's national commander, Richard Eubank, who called the absence of a president or any high-level administration figure “an insult of the highest magnitude.”

The criticism drew a rebuke from the White House.

“The president and his administration continue to have deep respect and appreciation for our service members and veterans, and this can be clearly seen in his administration's policies and actions,” White House spokesman Adam Abrams said.

Obama appeared before the VFW's national convention in 2009, and Vice President Joe Biden spoke to the group last year.

Obama appeared before the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta last year. He is expected to address another group of veterans today, at the 93rd American Legion National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Michael O'Hanlon, a defense policy analyst at the nonprofit Brookings Institution, called Perry's defense of unilateral action potentially troubling.

“Of course, the United States reserves the right to act alone. But we got into a world of hurt by beating our chests too much about this back in 2003 and failing to bring along enough other countries before invading Iraq,” O'Hanlon wrote in an email. “The consequences of that have been severe. It sounds like the governor doesn't want to acknowledge them, which would be worrisome.”

O'Hanlon said Perry's endorsement of pre-emptive strikes seems to restate existing policy.

“It is designed to sound muscular, but it isn't different from how we have fought al-Qaida, at least, under both Bush and Obama,” he wrote.

Also Monday, Perry announced a new state program that will offer nearly $3 million in grants to organizations that provide temporary and permanent housing to Texas veterans and their families. The program, Housing4TexasHeroes, is accepting applications through Sept. 16.

Perry has often noted his five years of service in the Air Force, in which he flew cargo aircraft. In a recent speech at the Iowa State Fair, Perry had taken a swipe at Obama, saying military veterans would rather have a commander in chief who has served.

At Monday's convention, Perry mentioned the World War II service of his father, whose post-service ambitions were markedly more modest than his own.

“He helped liberate millions from tyranny,” Perry said. “When he came home, he didn't seek claim or credit. He just wanted a little peace and freedom, just farm a little corner of land in Paint Creek, Texas.”

Staff Writer Gary Martin contributed to this report from Washington, D.C., and Staff Writer Nolan Hicks contributed from San Antonio.