SALT LAKE CITY — Fortunately for Mitt Romney, less than half of America's voters heard about the Etch A Sketch comment.

The remark came last week from Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom, who in one breath accidentally painted a picture of a flip-flopping Romney that Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich would have been proud of.

"I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes," Fehrnstrom said when asked if Romney's conservative run in the primaries would alienate moderates in November. "It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again."

But the gaffe didn't get as much publicity as the political junkies thought it did, and it turned out that among those who noticed, one more image of Romney as a flip-flopper didn't do much damage. Even though Santorum and Gingrich are now toting around Etch A Sketches, the Romney camp got off relatively easy.

In a world of 24-hour news cycles, political gaffes are commonplace. Despite politicians and media outlets rehashing almost every one of them, most are forgotten weeks or even days after they happen. But others persist. Branded into the public mind, they can define a campaign, provide ammunition for rival candidates or even cost an election.

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On the trail: An Etch A Sketch and Obama's sign language

Candidates for the Republican nomination continued this week down a gaffe-ridden road to the general election, and a heartwarming moment from Pres. Obama did not stop a local artist from promoting a controversial painting of the president.

But whether it's the public, the online community, the media or other politicians who keep them going, the big gaffes are still there, and they can cost candidates dearly. Just ask Howard Dean, whose speech after a 2004 loss in Iowa became known as the "Dean Scream" and forever branded him as a crazed liberal. Or Bob Dole, who fell from a stage in 1996 and reinforced everyone's image of him as a frail, elderly candidate.

Like any other election cycle, 2012 has produced its share of faux pas, and with the cameras always running and the mics constantly on, no candidate has been immune. Here are five of the biggest political gaffes of the presidential race, in chronological order:

The brain freeze

In November, Texas Gov. Rick Perry tried to describe his plans to eliminate three government agencies. Instead, he plunged into what one political commentator called "the most devastating moment of any modern primary debate."

"The third agency of government I would do away with. Education, commerce and let's see. I can't," Perry said after several awkward seconds of hemming and hawing. "The third one, I can't. I'm sorry. Oops."

Some have speculated the unfortunate gaffe came because Perry, under severe pressure after several lackluster debates, suffered a natural retrieval failure. But in the public mind, his brain freeze came to symbolize his poor performances and his floundering campaign, which he ultimately suspended in January.

Food stamps

During a speech in New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich had his turn to stick his foot in his mouth while describing what he would tell the NAACP if he was invited to speak to the organization. But after his remarks, he probably won't be delivering an address there anytime soon.

"I'm prepared, if the NAACP invites me, I'll go to their convention and talk about why the African American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps," he said.

While Gingrich may have meant no harm and has defended his statement, many read his comment differently. NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous said Gingrich's statement was "inaccurate" and "divisive." He also noted the majority of people on food stamps are not African-American, and that most of them have jobs.

Elitist-in-chief

In the wake of his victory in the Florida primary, Mitt Romney took one step forward and two steps back with a poorly phrased comment that gave the Democratic National Committee plenty of fodder for a new attack ad.

"I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it," Romney told CNN. "I'm not concerned about the very rich; they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who are struggling right now."

The former Massachussets governor should have known better. Too easy to be clipped and taken out of context, the quote gave other Republican candidates and the DNC the perfect opportunity to cement their claim that Romney was a wealthy elitist with little regard for people in the margins of society.

Slump speech

Rick Santorum wants a do-over. After keeping fairly quiet on the economy following wins in the Deep South, he broached the subject at a rally in Illinois. And he soon regretted it.

"I don't care what the unemployment rate's going to be. Doesn't matter to me," Santorum said. "My campaign doesn't hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates. It's something more foundational that's going on."

Santorum clarified his comments after the rally, but it was too late. The Romney camp had already issued a response, saying the statement was evidence the former senator from Pennsylvania was an "economic lightweight."

To Russia with love

Running practically uncontested in the Democratic primaries, even President Barack Obama hit a snag — not on the campaign trail, but in a conversation with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev caught on open mic during a nuclear security summit in Seoul, South Korea.

Pressed by Medvedev about America's controversial missile defense shield, Obama told the Russian president he needed space. "This is my last election," he said. "And after my election, I have more flexibility."

The flub was a freebie for Republicans, who have already used it to raise questions about Obama's relationship with Russia and the possibility of the president taking free rein if he's elected to a second term. Though Romney may have overplayed the initial response, Obama can expect to see his philosophy on "flexibility" crop up again during the general election.

Justin Ritter is a freelance journalist from Springville, Utah. He has reported on municipal and statewide elections and contributed to KBYU-TV's 2010 Election Special Report.

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