Arizona Governor Jan Brewer isn't likely to lose her bid for reelection this November. But she certainly doesn't owe that to her televised debating skills. In a painful-to-watch opening statement from last night's gubernatorial debate, Brewer can't seem to find the right words (or in some instances, any words at all).

Unfortunately for Brewer, one of the few statements she was able to communicate—that she "balanced the budget"—is patently false. As The Atlantic's Chris Good points out, "The state faces an estimated $700 million budget shortfall."

Politico's David Catanese called it "a surprising performance for someone who has made repeated rounds on the national cable talk show circuit and has appeared mostly at ease during the give-and-take sessions" while Gawker's Jim Newell alerted Brewer haters that "it's popcorn time."

Charitably, Chris Good adds "As a guy who also sometimes chokes in this fashion, I've gotta feel for Brewer here."

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John Hudson