Earlier this week, Rick Perry’s plight to secure his Republican party’s nomination for president suffered a tremendous setback. In a televised debate on Wednesday night, after declaring an intention to cut three government departments if he were elected, the governor of Texas could name only two. The Guardian was quick to label his 53-second meander “one of the most humiliating debate performances in recent US political history.”

Rick Perry’s latest gaffe represents the culmination of a string of poor performances in Republican debates this year. Political commentators from both sides of the aisle fiercely criticised, among others, Perry’s performance in a debate in Orlando, Florida in September. The Perry team had likely hoped that their candidate would emerge unscathed from the early debates to perform well in town-hall meetings and meet-and-greets that dominate the later months of the nomination race.

Damage Control

Embarking on a new strategy, in the two days following the debate, Rick Perry abandoned his campaign schedule to capture as much media attention as possible to counterweight his poor debate performance. On Thursday, he appeared on eight television programs, and presented the “Top Ten” on The Late Show with David Letterman. His efforts to persuade voters that the incident was only a minor setback, and his inability to remember the department an improper barometer for measuring his suitability for leadership, were gallant. However, the spectacle of a confused candidate seeking the role of commander-in-chief, unable to recall the details of one of his key talking points under pressure, will be difficult to drown-out with interviews and guest-appearances alone. Perry’s embarrassing moment, broadcast live across the nation, will have a devastating effect on his presidential bid, and potentially mark the end of his campaign.