The morning after a debate gaffe that many political watchers say will go down in modern political history, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas said his "brain freeze" shows that he is not "the slickest politician" among the field of Republican presidential hopefuls.

During the debate in Rochester, Michigan, Wednesday night, Perry said he would eliminate three federal agencies if elected president - but he was able to name only two of them.

That produced a painful period of more than 50 seconds during which he tried in vain to remember the third federal agency that he would eliminate. It ended only after Perry conceded that he could not remember it - even after appearing to consult his notes.

"Oops," he said.

Perry addressed the gaffe Thursday on CNN's "American Morning."

"I bet there are a lot of Americans out there that would like to forget some agencies of government too," Perry quipped, smiling through the interview.