Rick Perry denies that he was on medication during NH speech

Footage of addressing a conservative group in New Hampshire has prompted some viewers to question whether the Texas governor was drunk or possibly high on pain pills. (Perry had vertebral fusion surgery earlier this year.) Talking Points Memo quotes the governor (via the San Francisco Chronicle) as saying that he was just being himself.

When asked if he was taking any kind of medication that night, Perry says, "No. I was just giving a speech."

The speech was so out of synch with his campaign's portrayal of Perry as a rough, tough, plain-spoken Texan that some pundits, like Rachel Maddow and Joe Scarborough, speculate that it means the end of Perry's career in politics. Perry's popularity among Republican voters spiked briefly when he entered the race, but he has trailed in recent polls.