Stewart on Rick Perry's debate gaffe: 'Are you not entertained?'

In his recap of Wednesday's GOP debate, Comedy Central's Jon Stewart celebrated Republican presidential candidate Governor Rick Perry's brain freeze.

Republican presidential candidate Governor Rick Perry received broad criticism and ridicule for his performance at the GOP debate on Wednesday in Michigan after he failed to recall the third federal government agency he would cut after getting into the White House. While fellow Republican presidential contender former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney took the high road when speaking with reporters on Perry's performance, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum was more willing to make fun of the matter. “It’s not like someone asks me a question [and] I sort of stare at the camera and don’t know what to say,” Santorum told ABC News. “It’s true. Oops!” However, Perry's now famous oops moment was relished in detail by Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," who cited "oops" as the wrong four letter word to use when losing a bid for the White House. "Many Republican faithful thought Perry would be the answer to their prayers," Stewart said. "Turns out he was the answer to ours. You know, a comedian can spend his whole life digging through the comedy mines for sound bites that he can use to sustain his family. Sometimes a fellow can lose hope. And then Rick Perry gives you 53 seconds that can change a man's life. Oh Lordy, I give you this thing I found: the dope diamond." After playing the full clip of Perry's brain freeze, Stewart then asked his amused audience, drawing from the famous question posed in Gladiator: "Are you not entertained?" For his part, Perry has attempted to smooth over his poor performance, appearing on "Late Night with David Letterman" to deliver the "Top 10 List," the video of which can be found here. However, ahead of Saturday night's network-televised GOP presidential debate in South Carolina, the Perry campaign will have to do what it can to ensure that their candidate is sharp and alert.