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Here Are The Three Most Painfully Awkward Moments In Presidential Debate History

Oct. 3, 2012 11:52am Benny Johnson

Awkward can do more damage to a presidential candidate than any witty zinger or a good policy line. The debates have a way of finding the magnificently unprepared among the polished.

1. Al Gore Creeps On George W. Bush

Then rolls eyes and pouts when Bush does not reciprocate.

2. Nixon: Sick, Sweaty & Sticky (See Minute 3:58)

NOTE: This moment was so awkwardly catastrophic, the candidates in the next three Presidential cycles decided not to have televised debates.

3. Mr. Dukakis, what if your wife was raped or murdered?

BONUS: George Bush asks Charlie Gibson if he “needs some wood?”

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Comments (50)

SPOT_OF_TEA
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 6:13pm
How did the good folks of America allow the left to take over every major TV news network and every major newspaper editor?Out of NBC,CBS and ABC,you would have thought atleast 1 of them would be neutral of lean to the right…..How did this happen?

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- skippy6
  Posted on October 5, 2012 at 8:13pm
  WE didn’t!!! Big business caved to progressive ideals!!!!
  
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Chester62
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 5:34pm
The fix is in – all four debates will be moderated by progressive liberals, Obama bedfellows.

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- Machtyn
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 5:51pm
  And Romney will still win. And the MSM will lie and say he didn’t.
  
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rangertaylor
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 4:50pm
Am I missing something? I didn’t see anything awkward in the Nixon Vid at (3:58). What did I miss?

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- UnknownUser1
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 6:12pm
  i think he was really sweaty and licking the sweat off his mouth
  
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Warriorswife
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 3:48pm
Who HASN’T Al Gore creeped on? He’s freakin creepy!

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AllAmericanGirl22
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 3:31pm
LOL Al Gore was so funny, Bush was classic.

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- hifi74
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 6:26pm
  I disagree, Al Gore was funny because it was sadly pathetic. Bush’s response was hilarious because he looked and gave him the big Texas “howdy” nod and never broke stride and made it humiliating for Gore.
  
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p51d007
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 3:01pm
Admiral Stockdale’s famous “who am I, why am I here was one of my favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk53qOhq40M

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pap pap
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:46pm
I’d like to see Obummer get his **** nailed to the wall tonight.

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- RayOne
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:51pm
  That topic will not be brought up tonight.
  
  Report this comment
- Dont-hate-on-me-2
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 2:03pm
  Same
  
  Report this comment
BODYBAG
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:38pm
The Al Gore bully moment was the best. You know if this had been a
private moment in Crawford, TX Gore would be a gimp today.

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- johnjamison
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 2:43pm
  I don’t know Gore has stared in the eyes of manbearpig he knows no fear.
  
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- patriotinoh
  Posted on October 4, 2012 at 9:27am
  Say what you want about Bush but he was a regular guy. He would wipe the floor with Gore!
  
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huey6367
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:16pm
I love how Bush handled Al Gore. Just a simple turn, looked at him and nodded as if to say “How ya doing?”

Gore’s a fool in so many ways.

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- 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:20pm
  A fool? But he invented the internet and global warming.
  
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- BODYBAG
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:31pm
  And got filthy rich & won a Nobel Prize from both the con jobs.
  Give him credit for being one of the best snake oil salesman to ever walk the earth.
  
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LondoMollari
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:47pm
Are these copyrighted videos being illegally uploaded on youtube?

Maybe this site should take note of that.

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- reconmarine
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:08pm
  Maybe you should just leave.
  
  Report this comment
- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:17pm
  Why don’t you go research that and let YouTube know. We will wait for you ;-)
  
  Report this comment
- ammboy
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:22pm
  I agree, just leave.
  
  Report this comment
- CLEttinger
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:34pm
  They r on youtube, the uploader would have to worry about that, not those that linked to them.
  
  Report this comment
- melving
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:38pm
  Maybe you should take a look at your own puny squibble…….
  
  Report this comment
- jobo5432
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 4:46pm
  Ok…. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
  
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Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:45pm
Albert is just plain CREEEPY.

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- 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:22pm
  When Fluke runs out of her month’s supply of free birth control she should watch Al smooching with Tipper – that will destroy anyone’s libido for at least a week to ten days.
  
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Eastinfection
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:41pm
zzzzzzzzzz

this article is an awkward moment for the Blaze.

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Detroit paperboy
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:38pm
Ole Admiral Stockdale was pretty hilarious in that 92 vp debate, I was rolling on the floor !!!!!omg

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- toiletclogga
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 2:20pm
  Admiral Stockdale was done wrong in so many ways. The man is a hero, and the media made him out to be a doofus. It’s a shame how disrespectful the media was to him.
  
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- Cavallo
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 5:08pm
  GRRRRRRRRiiiiiiddlock!!!!!
  
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oneshiner
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:30pm
Ronald Reagan had the best zingers, ever.

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- right-wing-waco
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:37pm
  Dig up Reagan and prop him up. He could still do a better job than most.
  
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Stoic one
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:28pm
I want to see how the teleprompter-n-chief fares without his teleprompter tonight.

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texasken
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:26pm
what am i missing? where was the “catastrophically awkward” moment in Nixon’s monologue? Certainly nothing that happened at the 3:58 mark.

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- PlowMan
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:42pm
  I was wondering the same thing. It seems to me that the whole debate was a flop for Nixon. That is to say if you watched it on TV. JFK was slick and had all the right things in place (make up in particular) and had a cool demeanor about him. Now, I watch television and all but I think this invention has done the most to destroy what our founders have built. On the other hand it has been a place where a lot of good has been done as well.
  
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- BasketFullOfPuppies
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:55pm
  The people took him as weak, because he kept mopping his brow from the sweat under the hot lights.
  
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- GoodStuff
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 3:46pm
  Nothing remotely interesting or awkward happened during the Nixon video. What am I missing?
  
  Al Gore, on the other hand, is one creepy dude.
  
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title_of_liberty
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:24pm
Hopefully Obama has to deal with an awkward moment tonight.

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- right-wing-waco
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:35pm
  Yeh, I hope he farts very loudly. (Wink, wink)
  
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- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:47pm
  I hope to see the boy-king sweating profusely and stuttering, while trying to defend being called a liar.
  
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- 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 1:19pm
  Anonymous: Every vile sound that rolls off his forked tongue is a lie. He will certainly not sweat when the need to lie arises again and again tonight. He is fully comfortable in his bed of lies. Every fiber of his body is made of lies. That is who and what he is. Much like a hardened criminal who shows no remorse for any evil act, BO will exhibit no physical indication of his own evil actions and evil message.
  
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turkey13
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:12pm
I liked the stuttering of John Cary when he was asked about the Swift boat guys talking about his shooting himself to get that 3 rd purple heart so he could get out of Dodge.

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N37BU6
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:11pm
I need to hear Pat say “What about the Dingell-Norwood bill?” ASAP!

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Stevsea
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:10pm
I was expecting to see the one where George H.W. Bush looks at his watch. Maybe that was a VP debate. I can’t remember.

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chucksue351
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:02pm
can’t remember a good president or a presidential candidate!

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:00pm
I have another awkward one – Obama w/o a telepromptor tonight.

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The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 11:59am
And as far as VICE-presidential debates go? Well…let’s just say it is a good idea to remember to turn your hearing aid on.

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- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:44pm
  And try not to spell or use any F-bombs.
  
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