Rick Perry Mugshot -- OOPS!!!

Texas Governor Rick Perry pursed his lips with a faint smile as he posed for his mug shot ... and the pic is a study in politics and spin control.

As you probably know ... Perry has been indicted for felony abuse of power ... trying to coerce a political enemy -- a D.A. who was convicted of drunk driving -- out of office by threatening to veto a law enforcement bill if she didn't resign.

Perry -- who says the charges are BS -- has a lot at stake in this mug shot. He clearly wants to run for President in 2016, so the way he looks and dresses in the pic is critical.

Nice suit, crisp white shirt, appropriate blue tie. The look is confident, defiant but not too smug. It's way better than James Brown's mug and on a par with Armie Hammer and Lindsay's 6th.

Well done.