Fine. I'll say it. If it comes down to Clinton vs Biden, I'm for Joe.

[karynnj]

36. The media defines those memes - in reality neither are anywhere as gaffe prone as some want

to say. Both, in campaigns and in high position are taped for an incredible number of hours. It is hard to imagine that anyone could speak that much and say nothing that - even when isolated from context - can not be spun.

In 2008, when Kerry was a top advocate for Obama, he avoided any temptation to take a cheap shot when he was asked by media at an event (in Texas) for Obama if he thought that Hillary's Bosnia's comments should cause people to be concerned. His answer was that campaigns are incredibly tough - that for him the campaign in 2003/2004 was more physically exhausting than anything in his life and that he had always been athletic. Just thinking of what he said, it is clear has to be mentally, physically and emotionally extremely tough - and they have to be "on" for as many as 16 hours a day - while moving from hotel to hotel.

It is rather offensive - and demeaning - to these people who have risen to the top of the Democratic party that Democrats then take up the very attacks that the Republicans CREATE after parsing eveything and placing it in the very worst light.

I will admit that I see this most clearly for the politicians that I like most. In particular, I have often watched CSPAN or other links to see an entire John Kerry speech. He is an incredibly thoughtful, principled man and I almost always come away impressed --which will surprise no one here. Then, one of two things happen. There is no coverage - after all its "just" the Secretary of State -- OR - there is coverage of one or two sentences taken out of paragraphs that clearly explain what he is saying. This then is used by some Democrats, usually to his right, and the Republicans suggesting he is a loose cannon.

What I have seen, when I look for a fuller account of comments from Biden or, until recently, Hillary Clinton -- I often see the same thing. You might say that this is just the media looking for something more sensational --- except they actually buried genuinely dumb things George Bush said. Watching the NH race, it is interesting that the Boston Globe in the last week or so wrote the story of Scott Brown's selling his name to a sham company and since then going after that story with many followups - but the BG alone can not be an echo chamber.