The Screwups of Campaign '08

Presidential campaigns are so carefully stage-managed that few things are as entertaining as the mistakes politicians make on the trail. Throughout the 2008 race, check out TIME.com's ongoing chronicle of each candidate's gaffes, and then vote on just how big a screwup each one is

Mistakes Were Made

Richardson Goes Gonzo

dek — Isam Al-Haj, Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty

Bill Richardson
April 16, 2007

"The only reason I'm not there is because he's Hispanic, and I know him and like him. It's because he's Hispanic. I'm honest. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt."

—Richardson, expressing support for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales during the U.S. attorneys' scandal. Later, Richardson told the Associated Press, "After reviewing the attorney general's behavior, I must reluctantly conclude that new leadership is needed. It's time for him to go."

— Katie Rooney

Next Edwards' Hairy Cut