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

McCain's No-Show Joe

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John McCain
Oct. 30, 2008

"Joe's with us today. Joe where are you? Where is Joe? Is Joe with us today? All right. Well, you're all Joe the Plumbers, so all of you stand up!"

—McCain, calling Joe Wurzelbacher (commonly known as "Joe the Plumber") to the stage at a rally in Defiance, Ohio. Wurzelbacher didn't attend the rally, though he was on hand for a later event for McCain in Sandusky.

— Katie Rooney

Next McCain's Philosophy Flub