Washington (CNN) - Ending speculation that he planned to skip upcoming presidential debates, Rick Perry announced Saturday he would attend four scheduled debates next month.
Perry committed to debates in Michigan on November 9; South Carolina on November 12; Washington, DC, on November 22; and Arizona on November 30, a Perry spokesman said. He will also attend a November 19 forum in Iowa.
CNN is partnering with the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation for the November 22 debate, which will focus on national security.
The National Security debate was originally scheduled to take place on November 15, but the three organizations decided to move it to provide some space between the Michigan and South Carolina events.
CNN is partnering with the Arizona Republican Party for the November 30 debate.
Over the past week, the Perry campaign said it was considering limiting the number of debates the Texas governor would participate in so that he could spend more time campaigning in the early voting states.
Perry has not performed exceptionally well in previous debates, which he jokingly acknowledged Friday during a campaign swing through New Hampshire.
"Shoot, I'm gonna be a good debater before it's all over with," Perry said.
From CNN Politics
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Now we know the real reason that Perry has always refused to debate the other candidates when he ran for Govenor. The man is as dumb as a box of rocks.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Perry doesn't want to debate because he can't think for himself. His inability to articulate his point of view leads me to believe he only says what his advisers or big money cronies want him to say. Too bad he has to debate now. He'll actually have to defend his (advisers) new flat tax (a great idea BTW). I wonder if he actually knows what it is.
Whoopie-frickin-do. Who cares. Mr. Alka-Seltzer has already fizzled out.
End game
It's end game for Perry. He's out! He just cannot debate. If he debates he's out. If he doesn't debate he's out. Perry has proven time and time again that he just can't speak and he just can't reason enough to compete in an intelligent debate.
This is end game for Perry.
And let the Republican clown show continue! These debates are gifts that keep on giving.
It was writin !
Perry will be the next great orator.
Perry / Palin 2012
NO!! Don't do it Gov. Perry. IT'S A TRAP!! Hide from the world so that people only think you are a stupid fool, don't get up on stage and prove it.
Shucks, skipping the debates might not have hurt his campaign, but it would have been hell on the late night comedians.
He may learn to be a good debater, but he'll never be a good thinker or a good human being.
As if his campaign wasn't already on life support, this should definitely pull the plug!
"Shoot, I'm gonna be a good debater before it's all over with,"
Looks like it's ALREADY all over with
BEHOLD! the power of bad publicity! Too bad the damage is already done. Most people now see him as an empty suit and a coward. Because really, how can we expect him to stand up to Amedinajad if he can't stand up to lightweights like Michele Bachman?
Did anyone see how drunk this dude was in New Hampshire?
Here's a tip Governor GoodHair: If you want to be taken seriously in the debates lose the "shoots" and "gonnas" and all the rest of the bogus, down-home, twangy crap and learn to speak with a vocabulary of an adult. We've already had a President that sounded like you. Maybe you've met him. He used to be your boss. He was an idiot, but you're making him sound like genius by comparison. Right now you sound about as smart as a bag of rocks.
Maybe he should use a teleprompter?
For Perry and most of the other Republicans running for President simply are incompetent. They have no understanding of conservative policy positions and no vision. Perry simply showed he was not prepared and would not be suitable for the Presidency since he simply lacks the ability to lead and the ability to think. I feel sorry for Romney to have to be surrounded by a bunch of wackos like Gingrich, Bachmann, Cain, and Perry.
Headline should be: Perry will try to debate.
Ending speculation, Rick Perry announced that he is dropping out of the race for the Republican primary. No? Well, darn it! Perhaps his next campaign announcement will be that one.
If Perry wants a chance to run, he must debate. This was a no brainer. Pun intended.
Thanks for commiting to the debates rick.....it will be a circus up there watching you and the other right wing nut jobs eat each other!! please pick another fight with romney....that was hilarious last time ha ha ha ha!!
I know the man and his moral makeup and deep faith in the Laws of this land he can uphold.
The entire thought about avoiding debates, and that fact that he actually shared it publicly is markedly absurd. He is flakey, and his handlers are incompetent. President of the United States; are you kidding me?
As long as it is not master!! Guys like him have been jerking us around for to long! Believe he is a master debater
How does he have time to be Governor?
It's really kind of sad. The poor guy is too stupid to stand up in front of people and talk about an "idea" - he's much better spewing canned-ham slogans at hand-picked audiences - and he knows it. You can see the flop sweat on his face as he tries to "talk about stuff" without that prompter in his ear.
Whew....now I can sleep at night....
Aw, gee whiz, is the D student scared?
Intriguing to think that the ability to express one's ideals is not required for an elected Governor in Texas.
I remember that George Bush had a similar disaster.
Perry lost all his credibility as an intellictual with his debate performance.
Perry lost his integrity when he brought up the birth certicate faisco.
Perry lost all his support when he then made a joke about bringing up the birth certificate.
His joke, was to take jabs at the President. Most Americans see the President as a good moral man trying to do the right things regardless of the evil in our world.
Aw shucks practice makes better good thing most of the other debaters (with the exception of Romney) aren't much deeper
To debate one must be capable of listening,thinking on ones feet,walking and chewing gum simultaniously Not a strong suit of Perry's Sort of the opposite of bullying which he does very well Must be a texas thing often wrong,never uncertain
Glib Rick will debate? There have to be a lot of grateful teabaggers out there, holding their breath, just waiting to hear what the silver tongue Perry has to say to enlighten them.
Texas toast is on the menu.
Oh well. Get the popcorn. At least he's good for several laughs.
Can't believe all the folks in TX are THAT ignorant as to vote for that dud.
Just like Sarah Palin, he demands to be heard. Yet when he's given the chance and he bumbles, he blames that on everyone else. 2 of a kind!
His campaign is doomed, the country has finally had enough of the fatcats and their
paid for puppets(perry).
It is curious how every republican candidate that has risen to the top of the field has dropped in those same polls. Each and every one of them as been Palinized by our media. As soon as they see a threat to Pres.Obama the hit pieces come out Marco Rubio is just the latest.
If you don't debate well, you can't think on your feet, a quality greatly trreasured in a president. Sorry, Rick, you lose regardless of your decision.
Please contimue to debate Rick...................signed ...........The whole Democratic party
It's OK, Guv, the next debate or two will be Romney v Cain. You can take a back seat with Santorum and Bachman.
Does anyone remember the brief Fred Thompson campaign in 2008? Look familiar?
Rick Perry thinks that his tactic of avoiding debates will work for him this time around. That's how he got re-elected in Texas. He avoided debating with his rival so he wouldn't have to account for his conyism, raising taxes in Texas (government fees), and not being able to balance the budget. Perry has a lot to lose if he doesn't debate now. The other candidates will clobber him and he knows that.
"Shoot, I'm gonna be a master debater before it's all over with," Perry said.
An Idiot, that's all I say....o.k, Total idiot....
He won’t do any better, after he enter the race first he split the republicans then he split the tea party
Perry knows he can not afford avoiding debates. It will cost him very dearly!
What a fool
I was for the debates before against it and now for it..