WASHINGTON -- Debate season is upon us. It's an opportunity to set yourself apart from the other candidates. But it's also left a long list of presidential hopefuls, who came up short.
Here's a list of some of the biggest mistakes in presidential history, with some help from Professor Matt Dallek from The George Washington University:
1) Richard Nixon, 1960: This debate was the first TV debate, and showed the power of the new medium. John F. Kennedy, who was just 43 years old, looked good during the debate and made eye contact with the camera.
Candidate Richard Nixon, on the other hand, was dealing with a number of ailments. He had recently bashed his knee on a car door, which resulted in an infection. He was also getting over the flu. For this reason, he looked drained and frail during the debate. Unlike Kennedy, Nixon was also shifting his eyes between reporters, which sent a bad message to viewers at home.
"He fed the image of him as 'Tricky Dick,'" said Dallek.
In the end, these mistakes proved damaging for Nixon. While those listening on the radio called it a draw, or a Nixon victory -- TV viewers decisively thought Kennedy was the victor.
It's hard to blame the Nixon campaign for failing to understand the new technology. But this still earned Nixon a spot on the top gaffes in debate history.
2) Gerald Ford, 1976:
The year was 1976, and Pres. Gerald Ford was taking on Candidate Jimmy Carter in a debate. That's when Ford dropped one of the most iconic "gaffes" in presidential history:
"There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe," he said. "And there never will be under a Ford administration."
The statement triggered bewildered looks from audience members and journalists alike.
Ford likely meant that the spirit and tenacity of these populations will never be dominated, but nonetheless, the gaffe earned him a spot on the top gaffes in debate history.
3) Michael Dukakis, 1988:
The year was 1988, and after eight years of Pres. Ronald Reagan, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis was attempting to propel Democrats into the top office. In his way was Vice President George H. W. Bush.
During the debate, Dukakis was asked a somewhat provocative question about his wife by CNN correspondent Bernard Shaw.
"If Kitty Dukakis was raped and murdered," he asked. "Would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?"
The question gave Dukakis a chance to sound human. Instead, he answered in a way that appeared cold to many.
"No," he said. "I don't, Bernard. And I think you know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life."
More important than the words was the fact that he responded in a way that seemed dispassionate to many. This lands him a spot on the list of top gaffes in debate history.
4) Rick Perry, 2011:
We all suffer from the occasional brain-fart. Typically thought it doesn't happen to us in front of a TV-audience. Rick Perry unfortunately wasn't so lucky.
It only took 48 seconds, but by the end of it, Perry was reduced from a contender to a punchline.
"It's three agencies of government when I get there," he started. "That are gone."
Then he started naming them.
"Commerce," he began, his still confident and loud.
"Education," he continued, his fingers raised in the air.
Then his voice slows down, and he points his finger at his head. The crowd laughs, thinking this is a temporary mental failure. But with each agonizing second, the mistake becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
At the 20-second mark, another candidate jumps in with a lifeline. The voice offers an "EPA," prompting a laugh and a nod from Perry.
CNBC moderator, John Harwood, doesn't let the moment go.
"Is EPA the one you're talking about," he asks.
"No sir," Perry said, looking increasingly dejected.
For another 15 seconds, Perry struggles to find the last agency. Off camera, you hear a laugh, a sullen "oh my," and eventually Perry looks down at his notes, searching desperately for that last agency. At the 48-second mark, he declares defeat.
"I can't," he said. "The third one - I can't. Sorry."
Then the iconic word, that locked him in on the top gaffes of debate history.
"Oops," he said, looking off camera.
5) Marco Rubio, 2016:
This moment actually started out pretty well for Marco Rubio, who said some harsh words for the former president, Barack Obama.
"Let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing," he said. "He knows exactly what he's doing."
The comment was well-received by the crowd. But problems started to arise moments later when he said it again, nearly word-for-word. Candidate Chris Christie noticed this, and laid into Rubio.
"That's what Washington, D.C. does," he said. "Drive-by shot at the beginning with incorrect and incomplete information. And then the memorized 25-second speech that is exactly what his advisers gave him."
Christie's comments were met with a huge roar of applause from the audience. Making matters worse for Rubio was that he then said the comment for a third time.
"There it is," said Christie, looking at the camera. "The memorized 25 second speech."
This exchange really hurt Rubio, said Dallek.
"It played into this impression," he said. "That some of his critics had that he was too robotic, too rehearsed.
What do you think of these ratings? What else should be on the list? Send your thoughts to ekoslof@wusa9.com.