I agree on your summation of Rick Perry. He was not a bad governor. But when he made the statement “if you refuse to subsidize college tuition for illegals, you have no heart”, it started his downfall. Then during the 2012 debates, he could not remember the 2 departments in federal bureaucracy he wanted to dismantle. His best days are behind him.
Why do people like Perry & Santorum never give up gracefully? Is it the ego or is it hope of writing a new book?
It was three agencies he wanted to eliminate.
.....
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rick-perry-fails-to-remember-what-agency-hed-get-rid-of-in-gop-debate/
Perry was discussing his jobs plan and his flat tax plan when he said:
“And I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there
that are gone. Commerce, Education, and the... what’s the third one
there? Let’s see.”...
A few minutes later he stated the third agency was the Energy Dept.
that he wanted to eliminate.