The presidential candidates are acting a little un-presidential, or so it seems to me. Their constant bickering and games of gotcha are unbecoming of someone aspiring to the nation’s highest office—and that’s just the Democrats. Perhaps one of the reasons for their actions is the fact that both of them have stepped on their tongues every time they’ve opened their mouths lately. Obama stepped in it when tapes of his preacher were aired and it became apparent that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is an America-hating racist. Even though Obama has been a member of Wright’s congregation for twenty years, the Illinois Senator claimed he had never heard any of the inflammatory diatribes from his fiery preacher. A little unbelievable perhaps? Just as that tempest was subsiding, Miz Clinton created a new one.

Hillary recalled flying into Bosnia and dodging sniper fire while attempting to show how much experience she has and how much danger she experienced in her role as a significant member of her husband’s administration. She made those remarks several times in prepared speeches. But then someone came up with video footage of her actual arrival in Bosnia. There was no sniper fire or any danger whatsoever. Uh oh! Miz Clinton admitted that she “misspoke.”  Somehow the steel trap memory of the “smartest woman in the world” was clouded by fatigue or whatever word was handy. “Misspoke” is a modern politician’s word for “caught in a big fat lie.” Why would anyone running for president come up with such an obvious whopper that could be so easily verified? I guess it’s the kind of thing we’ve grown to expect to from the Clintons.  Speaking of Mr. Prevaricator, when news of Hillary’s “misspoke” started to die down; Bill jumped up and rekindled the mess with a new set of whoppers that he thought would defend Hillary from criticism.

 While the Clinton’s were trying to extricate themselves from their lies, Obama stuck his foot in his mouth again. Campaigning in Pennsylvania, he said “You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them,” Obama said. “And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”  Calling the people he wants to vote for him “bitter” isn’t really a good idea, even though much what he says is true. A lot of people living in the “Rust Belt” have been sitting there since the Unions priced the factories out of Pennsylvania and overseas. They are waiting for industry to return, though it never will. Both candidates are pandering to Pennsylvania voters before the April 22^nd primary. Unfortunately for Obama, he strayed from his prepared speeches and allowed his personal bias to show. Time will tell whether this will hurt him in next week’s election.

McCain has made but one gaffe so far. He mixed up Iran and Iraq while making a speech in Baghdad. Senator Lieberman corrected him before he dug himself into a deeper hole. It isn’t that McCain is any less prone to “misspeaking.” It’s just that with the two Democrats going at each other tooth and nail, he hasn’t had an opportunity or need to say much. That will change once the Democrats decide on a nominee.