But Carson's attempt to dismiss his misstatement wasn't convincing, especially after one of his top policy advisors publicly acknowledged that it was a struggle to get the former neurosurgeon to grasp foreign policy.
Even so, Mr. Gore asserted that his grasp of policy would be invaluable in the White House.
To Labour's frustration, the media has focused more on Mr Johnson's personality than his grasp of policy detail.
For if his grasp of policy is weak, Mr Abe is surrounding himself with advisers who favour smaller government and market-based reforms.
It is the logical conclusion of a Westminster conventional wisdom that thinks it understands politics but has an all-too loose grasp on policy.
Last year, on the campaign trail, Trump had promised to end DACA, but once he was in office and seemed to grasp the policy's widespread popularity, he wobbled.
More striking is how similar they all sound to one another: three exceptionally talented attorneys, determined to demonstrate their grasp of policy.
John Maynard Keynes saluted Roosevelt's esprit, but of his grasp on policy remarked in the 1930's that "he had as much idea of where he would land as a prewar pilot".
Mr. McGreevey is no stranger to campaigning as an underdog, and has been barnstorming the state nonstop since narrowly losing to Governor Whitman in 1997, honing both his people skills and his grasp of policy.
Mr. Gore's advisers say these detailed discussions, while not exciting, address the concerns of ordinary Americans and play to Mr. Gore's strengths, including his grasp of policy, and at the same time suggest that Mr. Bush is unprepared to grapple with such basic issues.
