CNN Panel Gets Maudlin over Departure of Rick Perry from Presidential Race

TAPPER: “Dana, Jindal’s tough words came the same week that Rick Perry, the longest serving governor in the history of Texas who had a great jobs record to talk about dropped out. What’s going on here?”

BASH: “Dropped out and not only that. Rick Perry -- I actually spent a little bit of time with him in Austin before he left the governor’s mansion. With him not just doing interviews, but also watching him behind the scenes try to get donors to come his way, which at the beginning worked and then it fizzled obviously big time. But I think that this is a perfect example of how timing in politics is everything. If he were prepared and didn’t have this oops moment last time around, that was his time because they were looking for somebody with the record and the personality and the sort of charm, which he does have on the stump. And this time around, he studied so hard, Jake.”

TAPPER: “Yes.”

BASH: “He studied policy. He studied performance. He studied with the Shakespeare Theater –“

TAPPER: “Yes.”

BASH: “-- to prepare for a debate like we’re having in a couple of days. TAPPER: That’s true, the Shakespeare Theater.”

BASH: “Somebody who started -- I should say somebody who started the Shakespeare Theater tutored him and debate him. Yes.”

TAPPER: “Wow. To be or not to be.” [Crosstalk]

BASH: “And guess what? And guess what? And guess what? It got him nowhere because it was the wrong time of that kind of preparation.”

NAVARRO: “As a Republican who did not support him last time or this time, I’m really glad he did it because he didn’t leave the taste in our mouth of the last debate. He went out there. He was a better candidate. He was great on the stump.”

BASH: “It’s true.”

NAVARRO: “He was much more prepared and I think he gave it his all. He left it all on the field and he’s coming out with class.”

JONES: “I agree with you.”