AUSTIN, TX-
It was the ‘ooops’ heard around the world, or at least around the country.
That little lapse in memory was probably the beginning of the end of Gov. Perry’s ill-fated run for the White House.
Snarky conjecture regarding the reason for the gaffe ranged from a host of Aggie-related jokes to simply not being ready for prime-time politics.
Now, a Texas Tribune reporter says he knows the medical reason for Perry’s poor performance.
Jay Root says it was sleep apnea. That’s when a person stops breathing while sleeping, and then suffers from fatigue when awake.
Perry apparently had this for decades without anyone knowing. A Perry spokesman confirmed that it was a ‘mild’ case.
Regarding the campaign, Root said: ‘It’s worth studying it as, honestly, one of the worst presidential campaigns ever. He didn’t win any delegates, he didn’t win any contest, he didn’t win any straw polls. It’s a cautionary tale for future presidential candidates.’
All of this is in Root’s book on the campaign, as if you couldn’t guess.
