Gov. Rick Perry is in damage control mode this morning, reminding supporters of gaffes by other candidates who became presidents after a painful stumble in last night's Republican primary debate in which he could not name one of three federal agencies he has vowed to abolish.
Perry listed Education and Commerce but couldn't come up with the last one during an excruciatingly long exchange. “I would do away with the Education, Commerce and, let’s see,” Perry said, prompted one last time for an answer. “I can’t. The third one I can’t. Sorry. Oops.”
In the spin room after the debate, he told reporters, "I stepped in it, man."
This morning, he's telling supporters he's walking in the footsteps of the greats, reminding supporters of fumbles by candidates who went on to become presidents — Obama, Reagan and Ford — and calling the reaction to his gaffe "media froth."
Perry also appeared on the Today show this morning, telling them, "I'm human like everyone else." Asked whether he expects to be spoofed on shows like SNL, he said he does: "I hope they get the agencies right." Here's that clip, followed by Perry's email to supporters.
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Here's the text of his email:
Friend & Supporter, We’ve all had human moments. President Obama is still trying to find all 57 states. Ronald Reagan got lost somewhere on the Pacific Highway in an answer to a debate question. Gerald Ford ate a tamale without removing the husk. And tonight Rick Perry forgot the third agency he wants to eliminate. Just goes to show there are too damn many federal agencies. The governor said it best afterwards: “I’m glad I had my boots on, because I sure stepped in it tonight.” While the media froths over this all too human moment, we thought we would take this opportunity to ask your help in doing something much more constructive: write us to let us know what federal agency you would most like to forget. Is it the EPA and its job-killing zealots? The NLRB and its czar-like dictates? The edu-crats at the Department of Education who aim to control your local curriculum? Send your answer to forgetmenot@rickperry.org, and if you are on twitter join us in using a new twitter hashtag: #forgetmenot. And, if you could, throw in a $5 contribution for every agency you would like to forget. We hope you have a long list. And we promise we will write down every last idea. So we don’t forget. Still standing in our Boots, Team Perry
