Republican presidential candidate Vice President Richard M. Nixon wipes his face during the nationally televised first of four presidential debates with Sen. John F. Kennedy, Democratic nominee, in Chicago.
Gaffe: Richard Nixon’s sweaty appearance in a pale gray suit vs. John Kennedy who was tanned and relaxed and wore a blue suit that provided a good contrast to the black and white screen.
Republican presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan stares back at John Anderson, Howard Baker, Robert Dole, and Phil Crane after the crowd asked that Reagan's mike be turned off and the other candidates cheered.
Gaffe: Ronald Reagan didn’t know his microphone was on. When a moderator tried to silence Ronald Reagan’s microphone during the Republican primary debate that he had personally financed, Reagan shouted, “I am paying for this microphone!” The line, as NBC's Brian Williams noted, became a “political home run” for Reagan, even though it wasn't actually his. He borrowed it from the 1948 film State of the Union.
President Jimmy Carter, left, and Republican Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, shake hands in Cleveland, Ohio, before debating infront of a nationwide television audience.
Gaffe: Jimmy Carter’s comment that he had discussed nuclear deterrence with his daughter, Amy, then 12. That led to Republican ridicule.
Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and U.S. Representative Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) greet each other before their debate on the campus of Drake University in Des Monies, Iowa.
Gaffe: Michael Dukakis showed little emotion when asked by a TV panelist whether his opposition to capital punishment would stand if his wife were raped and murdered. Dukakis answered dispassionately and stood by his position.
“Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?”
Dukakis: “No, I don't, Bernard. And I think you know that I’ve opposed the death penalty during all of my life. I don’t see any evidence that it's a deterrent, and I think there are better and more effective ways to deal with violent crime.”
Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, left, and Sen. Dan Quayle shake hands after their vice presidential debate in Omaha, Neb.
Gaffe: Dan Quayle tried to compare himself to John F. Kennedy.
Democratic candidate Lloyd Bentsen suggested that Republican candidate Dan Quayle didn’t have enough experience to serve as vice president.
Quayle: “I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency.”
Bentsen: “I knew Jack Kennedy; Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.”
President George H.W. Bush glances at his watch during a presidential debate at the University of Richmond's Robins Center with Independent candidate Ross Perot at right.
Gaffe: George H. W. Bush appeared to be disengaged when he twice looked at his watch during a verbal spar with Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.
James Stockdale reacts during the debate in Atlanta at Georgia Tech. At left is Vice President Quayle.
Gaffe: Adm. James Stockdale, Ross Perot’s vice presidential running mate, fumbled his introduction. It turns out that he had been told about the debate only a week before.
Stockdale: “Who am I? Why am I here? I'm not a politician.”
Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush, left, speaks while Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Al Gore listens during the debate at Washington University in St. Louis.
Gaffe: Several times during the debate, Gore noted his disapproval of Bush's responses by sighing loudly in the background. Many believe the
sighs and body language hurt his White House bid.