Was Rick Perry the 'Worst Candidate' of 2012?

It wasn't a great election cycle for Texas Governor Rick Perry. After bursting on to the scene in August 2011 and racing to the top of the crowded GOP presidential field, it was a steep and speedy slide to the bottom of the heap.

Gov. Perry finally dropped out of the race just days before the South Carolina primary.

The Washington Post's political blog, "The Fix," noticed: It named Perry the "Worst Candidate of 2012."

Perry beat out notable (or not so notable) candidates such as:

• Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin
• GOP Presidential candidate (for a very short time) Thad McCotter
• Texas U.S. Senate Candidate Rick Sanchez

"The gap between what was expected of Perry and what he delivered coupled with incredibly high profile of the race in which he chose to flop makes Perry a clear choice for worst candidate of 2012," writes "Fix" blogger Chris Cillizza. 

I could list off all the stumbles by Gov. Perry on the campaign trail. (I was there for most of them.) But you already probably know the "greatest hits." They include:  

"I don't think you have a heart:" Perry's endorsement of the DREAM Act, which went over like a lead balloon with many GOP supporters:

That weird New Hampshire speech, which subsequently went viral: 

Vote for me when you turn 21: Perry's address to college students in New Hampshire:

And of course, the "Oops" heard around the world:

None of that has deterred the governor: Perry continues to drop hints that he's up for another run in 2016.