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After his infamous "brain freeze" that drew laughter and ridicule from his detractors, Texas Gov. Rick Perry poked fun at himself Thursday night while delivering the "Top Ten" list on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman."

Perry sauntered on stage smiling, clapped his hands and saluted the crowd before rattling off the "Top Ten Rick Perry Excuses." Among them:

No. 6: "You try concentrating with Mitt Romney smiling at you. That is one handsome dude!"

No. 5: "Uh, El Nino?"

No. 4: "I had a 5-hour Energy drink six hours before the debate."

No. 2: "I wanted to help take the heat off my buddy Herman Cain."

No. 1: "I just learned Justin Bieber is my father."

The morning after the debacle, Perry said his "brain freeze" showed he is not "the slickest politician" among the field of Republican presidential hopefuls.

His campaign, meanwhile, sought to raise funds off the gaffe, encouraging supporters to send $5 for every government agency they "would like to forget."

Operatives from the left and the right slammed the moment as a potential sign of Perry's campaign imploding. The New York Times quoted Mark McKinnon, an aide to former President George W. Bush, as calling the moment the "human equivalent of shuttle Challenger."

Speaking to CNN's Christine Romans on Thursday, Perry said, "we need substance more than we need style" and tried to turn the incident into an attack on President Barack Obama.

When Romans said that the president has to be "debater in chief," Perry responded, "We've got a debater in chief right now. And you've got to ask yourself: How's that working out for America?"

His campaign sent out a note to supporters saying, "We've all had human moments."

The note from "Team Perry" points out that Obama, at a campaign stop during the 2008 election, referred to having visited "57 states."

"Ronald Reagan got lost somewhere on the Pacific Highway in an answer to a debate question," the note adds. "Gerald Ford ate a tamale without removing the husk. And tonight Rick Perry forgot the third agency he wants to eliminate. Just goes to show there are too damn many federal agencies." http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/11/politics/perry-gaffe/index.html?hpt=hp_b
n3, that's what it shows, fer shore. Get 'em down to two, and elect Perry President!