Rick Perry Quits: The Long Fall of 'Obama's Nightmare'

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Here, in all its excruciating glory, is a recap of the tumultuous rise and fall of Rick Perry:

Obama's 'Worst Nightmare'

Perry officially announced his candidacy for the GOP nomination on Aug. 13, 2011, unleashing a horde of evangelical Christians deifying a three-term governor touting a record of job growth and fiscal reform.

"It's time to get America working again," Perry said.

Within days, he was in front of the Republican field, leading in polls by as many as 11 points. It began a streak that would carry him to six straight weeks as the leading Republican candidate -- at one point with an 19-point advantage within the field.

The good will carried over to the general populace, as the Texan had a lead over the president by Sept. 1, according to some polls. It gave credence to his earlier claims that he was Barack Obama's "worst nightmare."

'Ponzi Scheme'

Politicos began wondering how could he lose. Perry was the longest-serving governor of a huge state that acts as a bullpen for the GOP's national stage. He came in touting job growth in a time of economic distress, and hosted the nation's biggest politically charged prayer rally in a football stadium. Conservative bona fides by the boatloads, and a brass set to match. But it was the cojones that began his precipitous fall.

For all the bluster that surrounded Perry, September and October became defining months, as a candidate that was once stoic, driven and passionate transformed into a loose-lipped novice, too green and unhinged for the national stage.