Say what? The
2008 presidential campaign theme could be ''Oops! What I
meant was ...''
Just about every
Republican and Democrat has flubbed an answer to a
question or made a borderline inappropriate comment --
some so uncomfortable they make you cringe --
only to take back the remarks or seek to clarify them
later when under fire.
This month alone,
Republican Mitt Romney backtracked from a comment about
his sons' lack of military service. Rival Rudy Giuliani
retreated from his suggestion that he spent as much
time as Sept. 11 rescue workers at the ground zero
site and was exposed to the same health risks. Democrat
Bill Richardson stumbled over a question about whether
homosexuality was a choice. All sought to skirt
controversy by quickly explaining themselves.
It is happening
so often, ''you'd think it's deliberate!'' quipped G.
Terry Madonna, a pollster at Franklin & Marshall College
in Pennsylvania.
Joking aside, he
said: ''I don't think you can go through this grueling
ordeal and not find even the most seasoned politician who
isn't susceptible to misspeaking or a malaprop here or
there. We're seeing some genuinely real moments as
these candidates are in the pressure cooker.''
Chalk up the glut
of apologies and clarifications to changing times.
Candidates of all
stripes have become extremely sensitive to the Internet
era and painfully aware of video-sharing Web sites such as
YouTube that allow images and audio to be posted
online immediately.
At the same time,
it has become routine for campaigns to send out
''trackers'' with recorders to capture a rival's every
appearance in hopes of catching an election-altering
misstep to use in a television ad or Web video.
''In the olden
days, this wasn't an issue because if you said something
that could be problematic, you just denied that you said
it,'' said Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant.
''These days, it's too easy to have cold, hard
proof.''
''You've got to
have a strategy to combat the YouTube video,'' she added.
''Now, one mistake can be replayed often.''
Typically,
Republican and Democratic strategists say, candidates who
slip up take one of two damage-control avenues.
Some opt to stand
firmly behind their comments and plow forward with
their campaigns. They believe that apologizing or clarifying
is a sign of weakness and that sticking to their
viewpoints shows strength and projects self-awareness.
The risk is that they can appear stubborn and
unwilling to admit mistakes.
More often,
candidates decide to acknowledge their errors or explain
their comments quickly. The hope is to take blunders off the
table and blunt the impact of any attacks. But they
also could appear as though they do not mean what they
say and will change positions when they feel the heat.
Regardless of
which path they choose, strategists say, each situation
must be handled individually and candidates must strike a
balance between being authentic and being willing to
admit they are wrong.
''I'd rather be
who I am and make mistakes than come across as this very
carefully scripted, totally handled person. I think people
are so sick of that,'' said former Arkansas Gov. Mike
Huckabee, a Republican whose words sometimes have
gotten him in trouble. ''People will forgive me for a
mistake more than they'll forgive me for phoniness. And, if
they don't, then I'm not their guy.''
Huckabee once
referred to Arkansas as a ''banana republic'' and, on
another occasion, jokingly attributed his 110-pound weight
loss to spending time in a concentration camp.
Among the recent
gaffes:
-Romney, a
former Massachusetts governor, defended his five sons'
decisions not to enlist in the military and said ''one of
the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is
helping me get elected.'' Later, the Republican said
he misspoke, explaining: ''I didn't mean in any way to
compare service in the country with my boys in any way.''
-Giuliani,
the New York City mayor during the terrorist attacks,
claimed he was at ground zero ''as often, if not more,
than most of the workers'' and was exposed to the same
health risks. After drawing the ire of some
firefighters, he acknowledged: ''I could have said it
better'' and ''What I was saying was: 'I'm there with
you.'''
-Richardson, New Mexico's governor, said ''It's a
choice'' and then ''you know, I'm not a scientist''
when gay-rights activists asked during a forum whether
people are born gay or whether they choose homosexuality.
He quickly clarified. The Democrat also has said, ''I
screwed up'' when citing conservative Byron White as a
model Supreme Court justice.
-John
McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona known for his
off-the-cuff style, twice has clarified comments. In
separate instances, he referred to U.S. lives lost in
Iraq as ''wasted'' and used the term ''tar baby,''
which some people consider a racial epithet. In both cases,
he quickly said he regretted his word choice.
-Barack
Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, also apologized
for using the word ''wasted'' about U.S. soldiers
killed in Iraq. During a campaign speech in Virginia,
he drastically overstated the death toll in the
springtime tornado in Kansas, saying, ''Ten thousand people
died -- an entire town destroyed.'' The actual
death toll was 12.
''There are going
to be times when I make mistakes,'' Obama said then,
recognizing his mistake before his speech ended.
Even unofficial
candidates are not immune.
Fred Thompson, a
Republican expected to enter the race in September,
offered an explanation after Democrats assailed him for
saying ''we're living in the era of the suitcase
bomb'' as he bemoaned illegal immigration from Cuba.
In 2006, several
politicians learned the hard way that a slip of the
tongue could have disastrous consequences. Most prominent
was Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia, who lost
his re-election bid after he referred to a young man
of Indian descent as ''macaca,'' which some consider a
racial slur.
Similarly,
Democrat John Kerry endured crushing fallout when said young
people who do not study hard would likely ''get stuck in
Iraq.'' Republicans seized on the remark. Days went by
before Kerry apologized after cajoling by Democratic
leaders in Congress.
The episode
virtually guaranteed that the 2004 Democratic nominee
wouldn't run for president again.
The lesson? Watch
what you say. (Liz Sidoti, AP)