<P> Stockdale came to know businessman and presidential candidate Ross Perot through his wife's work in establishing an organization to represent the families of Vietnam POWs . On March 30, 1992, Perot announced that he had asked Stockdale to be his provisional Vice Presidential nominee on Ross Perot's 1992 independent ticket . Perot intended to replace Stockdale with another candidate, but did not do so before he dropped out of the race in July 1992 . </P> <P> Perot eventually re-entered the race in the fall of 1992, with Stockdale still in place as the vice-presidential nominee . Stockdale was not informed that he would be participating in the October 13 vice-presidential debate held in Atlanta, Georgia, until a week before the event . He had no formal preparation for the debate, unlike his opponents Al Gore and Dan Quayle, and did not discuss any political issues with Perot beforehand . </P> <P> Stockdale opened the debate by saying, "Who am I? Why am I here?", when responding to a request for an opening statement from debate moderator, Hal Bruno, the political director of ABC News . Initially, the rhetorical questions drew applause from the audience . However, his unfocused style for the rest of the debate (including asking the moderator to repeat one question because he didn't have his hearing aid turned on) made him appear confused and almost disoriented . An unflattering recreation of the moment on Saturday Night Live later that week, with Phil Hartman as Stockdale, cemented a public perception of Stockdale as slow - witted . He was also often parodied for his repeated use of the term "gridlock" to describe slow governmental policy . </P> <P> As his introduction to the large segment of American voters who had not previously heard of him, the debate was disastrous for Stockdale . He was portrayed in the media as elderly and confused, and his reputation never recovered . In a 1999 interview with Jim Lehrer, Stockdale explained that the statements were intended as an introduction of himself and his personal history to the television audience: </P>

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