The Most Memorable Political Gaffes

A look at some of the Most Embarrassing Moments from Campaigns Over the Years

Herman Cain is not the first politician to get caught unprepared, on the record. Below a look at some of the most embarrassing political gaffes in recent memory.

Jeanine Pirro, 2005

Though best known to tv audiences today as “Judge Jeanine,” Pirro was once a formidable Republican politician, having served as District Attorney for Westchester County before running for state and federal office in New York. The FOX News personality was considered a serious contender to face then Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton until Pirro had the kind on camera flub that most of us have nightmares about. Did I mention it took place the day she officially announced her candidacy? Take a look at “The Daily Show’s” take on it:

George W. Bush, 1999

If one ever needed proof that a candidate can survive an embarrassing on air blunder and still win the presidency, just review Exhibit A, the first presidential campaign of George W. Bush. During a 1999 interview with a Boston tv reporter, the then Texas Governor was startled by a foreign affairs pop quiz of sorts. The result, wasn’t quite as bad as that recurring dream of finding yourself sitting in a classroom naked, but almost: "Bush Fails Quiz on Foreign Affairs"

Jesse Jackson, 1988