Truly awful. It doesn’t have to change anyone’s mind, but simply admitting it would at least be honest.
Clearly he is fatigued. In the medical sense of the word.
He needs rest.
And he needs to learn when to say, “I am discussing that with my advisers, and it is a very complex issue, so I don't want to give a knee-jerk response.” And stick to that response.
Perry waited until after two debates to announce his economic/tax plan, and one of those two debates was on the ECONOMY.
You can't get hurt (too bad) by keeping your mouth shut, but you can get hurt a lot by opening your mouth if you are unprepared.
Cain should rest more, study more, and do fewer interviews.
The only thing awful was the pause. He collected his thoughts and give an incisive answer.