Doing damage control in the wake of Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry’s “senior moment” during last night’s nationally televised debate, in which he cast about for full minutes in search of a government agency he could vow to slash, Team Perry is spinning the gaffe as a folksy human flub, recalling episodes of high-profile mental drifting by Presidents Obama, Reagan and Ford. Staffers blasted out a fundraising email, asking supporters what department of the federal government they would cut if they were president
“„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,