Of course the media would lose itself...

So, it must be a good idea. Gail Collins, in the NYT today, offers one of the best ideas regarding the presidential campaign I've heard recently...

Given the number of crises we’ve had along these lines, it might be a good idea for all three candidates to disavow in advance anything stupid a supporter, adviser, staffer or radio talk-show host says for the rest of this year. We could give the blanket disavowal a fancy name, like “Article 300.” Then the next time McCain discovers that one of his backers has, say, called for a crusade against Lutherans, he could just invoke Article 300 and we could all move on.

Let's call it the skill of the "preemptive political pandering apology." What ever happened to a good boss/leader being marked by his or her willingness to stand up for his or her own team? Alas, we are left with the process of a not so untrue or offensive remark being sensationalized by the media, followed by an outcry from the other side - which is prompted by the media looking for copy by badgering them on the issue, which is followed by the half assed apology, which is followed by... well you know the drill.