"Oh please, please forgive me! I promise to never criticize your lack of empathy again!"
(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Rick Perry
Monday night:
Rick Perry, on a panel with Fox News' Bret Baier tonight, said that his wife Anita had lit into him for his comment at the Orlando debate in September that people who opposed Texas' in-state tuition plan for some illegal immigrants had no 'heart.'
"My wife said it was an insulting thing to say," Perry said, adding later, "My error was in saying that...It was incorrect...I shouldn't have said it. I do respect individuals across the country and their opinion on that."
Rick Perry earlier this month after his "oops" gaffe:
But as Perry tried to move past his most recent debate gaffe, he also raised a mistake from a previous debate in September, when he suggested that those opposed to providing education to illegal immigrants don’t “have a heart.” Perry has apologized for that comment in the past, but he took the repentance one step further Thursday, calling his remark “arrogant” and noting his wife’s view that the statement was “insulting.”
Rick Perry in late September:
Gov. Rick Perry of Texas said Wednesday that it was “inappropriate” of him to have branded as heartless those who oppose tuition breaks for the children of illegal immigrants.
In an interview with Newsmax.com, Mr. Perry said that his remarks during last week’s debate were “inappropriate” and that he had been “over passionate” in his answer to the question.
So why is Rick Perry apologizing? Simple: From Aug. 15 through Sept. 22—the day on which he made his infamous comment—Perry led every single national poll of the Republican race, registering at least 20 percent in each of the 24 separate matchups tested by pollsters. He narrowly led in the first poll conducted after the debate, which took place on a Thursday. By the following week, his support had hit bottom and he hasn't led a poll since.
Despite all the attention to his "oops" moment, I'll stone cold guarantee you this: If there is one thing from this entire campaign that Rick Perry could take back, it would be the moment in Orlando when he said it was heartless to deny kids access to education. Two whole months have passed since he uttered those words, and he still can't live them down.