Rick Perry's debate disaster may have sealed his fate
Cal Jillson, SMU professor of political science, talks about how bad was it for Rick Perry to forget during a recent debate performance.
By LEE-ANNE GOODMAN
The Canadian Press
WASHINGTON - The latest Republican debate was expected to focus on Herman Cain, the presidential hopeful currently embroiled in a lewd sexual harassment scandal.
But Texas Gov. Rick Perry unwittingly stole the spotlight from his rival with a potentially fatal verbal fumble that he punctuated with a feeble "oops," neatly making Cain's woes look minuscule in comparison in a debate that was already paying them short shrift.
In the CNBC economic debate in Michigan, Perry was asked about his tax and spending plan and proceeded to falter painfully, unable to list the three federal agencies he's proposing to abolish....
Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, predicted earlier Wednesday it would be "fascinating to see how other candidates handle him because they've just begun to push Cain off the cliff on this matter."