Politico calls Sid Leiken's tearful apology a "Muskie moment"

Kari Chisholm

Here's the video of Sid Leiken's tearful apology on Friday - from Eugene TV news station KVAL:

At the Politico, they've labeled Leiken's performance a "Muskie moment". Going further than I have so far, Politico's Josh Kraushaar dismisses Leiken's congressional candidacy. Pretty hard-hitting stuff:

Springfield, Ore., mayor Sid Leiken was once a leading Republican recruit, and was viewed by the party as a serious threat against Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.)

Those days seem long gone, after the mayor allowed a disputed $2,000 campaign transaction to become a leading local political controversy — capped off last Friday with a tearful apology in front of television cameras. ...

Campaign finance irregularities usually don’t derail promising campaigns. But when a candidate allows a seemingly minor situation to snowball into a tearful press conference, it’s a sign that the GOP overstated his prospects in the first place.

Given that Leiken raised a dismal $33,000 in the first quarter of fundraising, it’s fair to say DeFazio is breathing much easier about his chances of winning a 13th term.

Wow.

The O's Jeff Mapes has a post up now too.

(Ed Muskie was the 1972 presidential candidate whose campaign was derailed when it was reported that he broke down and cried while defending his wife against allegations of drunkenness. Later, he claimed that he hadn't actually cried - but his campaign was over anyway. See Wikipedia.)

By Kari Chisholm Aug. 24, 2009