presidential debate

Perry’s ‘brain freeze,’ by another name, is common ‘retrieval failure’

It was the Hoover Dam of mental blocks. Pundits referred to it as a “brain freeze” or a “gaffe.” In Internet parlance, it was an “epic FAIL.” But to neuroscientists, what happened to Texas Gov. Rick Perry Wednesday night looked like something very ordinary, exacerbated by stress: a “retrieval failure.”

Senh: It happens to me all the time, so I can sympathize with Rick Perry. It also probably means I have no business in politics.

Perry pokes fun at himself on Letterman

Rick Perry gives his Top 10 excuses for a huge debate gaffe on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Perry Says His Campaign Won't End

Perry says his campaign won't end despite debate blunder. "Oh, shoot, no," Perry told The Associated Press Thursday morning, a day after he stood on stage unable to remember the third federal department he would cut. He was asked if his campaign, struggling to regain traction, could survive. "This ain't a day for quitting nothing."

GOP debate features stymied Rick Perry, defiant Herman Cain

Perry, who struggled in his previous debate performances, was talking about the three departments that he would cut to curb the size of the federal government. He named two — Education and Commerce — but for an excruciating period searched his mind for the third, as competitors tried to help him out.

Senh: Rick Perry seems more gaffe prone than Joe Biden. I feel bad for him. We are have similar incidents happen to us, we just don't have the spotlight on us when that happens.

After poor debates, Perry may skip some in future

Rick Perry may skip some upcoming GOP presidential debates, sidestepping a campaign staple that hasn't been kind to the Texas governor in his first two months on the national stage. It's a decision that ultimately could cause other Republicans to bow out of the more than half-dozen face-offs scheduled between now and the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3....

Senh: What a wimp. Especially since he's behind, he needs all the attention he can get. Now's not the time to quit. Otherwise, it's just gonna be Mitt Romney. It seems like these campaigns favor the talkers rather than the do-ers. Could Rick Perry just be a bad talker, but a guy who can get stuff done? Is Mitt Romney a smooth talker who doesn't have a track record? If I have to pick one, I would rather get someone who can get the job done.

Candidates go all-in for Las Vegas GOP debate

Tuesday night was fight night in Las Vegas. Seven Republican presidential candidates clashed sharply over issues such as illegal immigration, taxes and health care at a presidential debate in Nevada sponsored by CNN and the Western Republican Leadership Conference. But it was the three Republican frontrunners -- former Godfather's Pizza executive Herman Cain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov Rick Perry -- who came under frequent attack.

Senh: It seems like whenever one of the candidates are doing well at the polls, it's feasting time at the debates for the other candidates. Mitt Romney does seem like someone who would switch positions at the drop of a dime, especially in regards to health care and illegal immigration.