2012 Presidential Election

Isaac Chotiner is the executive editor of The Book at TNR.com

Gov. Perry was not in the spotlight at the South Carolina foreign policy and national security debate. He was the 5th person to get a question - a result of his 5th place standing in at least one state poll. But he never stumbled - and even showed emotion and conviction when answering questions.

He started the debate by skipping the questions asked, instead answering questions asked to other candidates. (Maybe they were questions he was more comfortable with.)

After a two-day media blitz attempting to counter Wednesday night's 53 seconds of forgetfulness, Gov. Perry and the rest of the GOP field are back on stage tonight at Wofford College in South Carolina.

Pundits came away from last night's Republican Primary debate talking almost exclusively about Rick Perry's 53-second, awkward gaffe during which he forgot the name of the third federal governmental agency he would eliminate if elected to the White House.

But perhaps lost in the mire was the candidate who appeared to be trying to help Perry: The other Texan running for the Republican nomination, Congressman Ron Paul.  

Perry turned to Paul and counted on his fingers as he struggled to remember, "Commerce, Education, and... what's the other one?"

Paul blunted the awkwardness slightly by shifting focus to his plan to eliminate even more federal departments.

"You need five," he said. "You need five."

But Perry continued, "Oh five, oh okay. So Commerce, Education, and the uh, um," as he looked to Paul for help. By that point, Paul apparently had nothing more to add.

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. 

Just how bad was Gov. Perry's flub during the Michigan debate? So bad that after the debate he did something he's never done before - he talked to the press in the post-debate spin room.

You have to wonder how much sleep the campaign will get over the next few nights - trying to come up with a plan to fix what happened in Michigan - and keep it from happening again at Saturday's debate in South Carolina.

In case you missed it, here is video of one of the most discussed moments from this evening's Republican presidential debate.