(Image Source: CNBC)

BY ADAM FALK
ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

It was 45 seconds, GOP hopeful Rick Perry will never get back. Some are calling it a campaign killer. Others an over-sized oops. In case you missed it, here’s the clip.

PERRY: “It’s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: commerce, education and the ummm...what’s the third one there. ... Commerce, education and the...ummm...ahhh...”
“EPA?”
PERRY: “EPA, there you go. No...”
CNBC: “Is EPA the one you were talking about?”
PERRY: “No, sir.”...
CNBC: “You can’t name the third one?”
PERRY: “The third agency of government I would do away with, let’s see education, commerce. And...let's see...I can’t. The third one, I can’t.”

This comes after a string of what many in the media call less than stellar debate performances. Rick Perry himself even told Fox News Sunday-- debates aren’t his strong suit. Post- gaffe-- the candidate took to the morning talk shows to explain himself. Here he is on ABC.

RICK PERRY: “People make mistakes when they debate. People make mistakes when they make statements. But there is one thing that Americans do know about me, and that is that my conservative beliefs about getting this country back on track are very deep founded.”

His campaign manager called it an error of style, not substance. And Perry himself says the gaffe makes him more human. But a political analyst for MSNBC says this brain freeze is more than a hiccup in the governor’s campaign.

JOHN HEILEMANN: “There are two problems. The first is this builds on the established narrative. He’s made these mistakes in debates. He’s not performed well. ... He did this thing that confirmed the worst caricature of him. The second problem is that in this age of YouTube this clip will live forever.”

While the clip lives on, Fox News says so does Perry. He might have - as he said - ‘stepped in it’ last night, but the debates aren’t over until they’re over.

CARL CAMERON: “It’s not as though Perry is not going to get a couple of do-overs. He’s going to get a lot of do-overs, a baker’s dozen’s worth. ... So, if Perry hangs on, and he’s certainly got the money to do that, he’ll have plenty of time to improve his debating skills. And as he says repeatedly, being president isn’t necessarily about being a debater-in-chief...”

But does he still have a shot at being the commander-in-chief? A writer for The New York Times suggests with Perry done and most of the other candidates slipping, Romney’s road to the nomination is all but set.

“But one by one, those [Romney] alternatives have done themselves in, politically. Gaffes. Inexperience. A lack of charisma. Just plain not knowing how to run for president. Each time surveys showed one of Mr. Romney’s rivals surging, something happened to bring down the campaign.”

And a writer for Politico agrees saying..

“There’s still a gaping space in the field for an anti-Romney conservative, but the list of plausible options is narrowing to approximately none.”

Perry said Thursday the third agency he would cut is Energy. So, again, education, commerce and....energy.  The next debate is scheduled for Saturday. Perry will be there, but he’s making no promises for future debates.

Transcript by Newsy.