#2. Biden's Mess

Jan. 31, 2007

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, I mean, that's a storybook, man."
— Joe Biden, describing fellow candidate Barack Obama

The remark was made the same day Biden filed the official paperwork to launch his presidential campaign. He later apologized and said he should have used the word "fresh" instead of "clean." The Chicago Tribune observed that the gaffe "gave Obama the opportunity to appear magnanimous in the face of an insult," after the Illinois Democrat responded by saying that Biden didn't intend to offend anyone. Obama did add, however, that the comment was "historically inaccurate," citing former presidential contenders Jesse Jackson Sr. and Al Sharpton, who chimed in saying, "I take a bath every day."