ROCHESTER, Michigan - November 9, 2011 - The Rick Perry comeback hit a potentially disastrous snag Wednesday night, as the Texas governor again froze on the debate stage - this time, while attempting to list three federal agencies he’d eliminate as president.

After saying confidently that he’d do away with the Departments of Education and Commerce, Perry struggled through a long, awkward moment that ended with an “oops”.

“I would do away with Education, Commerce and, let’s see, I can’t,” he said. “The third one, I can’t.”

Perry used his next question, several minutes later, to clarify. “By the way, that was the Department of Energy I was reaching for a while ago.”

But the damage may already have been done for Perry, whose campaign initially veered off course in late September when he fumbled in back-to-back debates in Florida.

In recent weeks, the Texas governor - who led Mitt Romney by more than 20 points in GOP primary polls for the first month after he entered the race - has plowed hundreds of thousands of dollars into early-state television ads. As Herman Cain’s campaign has faltered, Perry was positioning himself to take advantage of a renewed opening on the right of the field.

That opening will likely be narrower for Perry after Wednesday, with another moment to feed the impression among GOP primary voters that he’s not fully prepared to run for president.

Perry conceded the problem while talking to reporters right after the debate.

“I’m glad I had my boots on tonight,” Perry said. “I stepped in it out there.”