Loose lips sink ships

Even in the internet era, the old saw "Loose lips sink ships" remains even more true than ever.

Such loose lips have plagued Democratic Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, as his son posted questionable party pictures on Facebook from a blowout he threw at the stately Governor's Mansion, and now, GOP U.S., Senate candidate Bob Schaefer's son has posted racist and anti-Jesus jokes on his collegiate Facebook page.

Old newspaper columns, recordings from speeches at meetings years ago and obscure news stories from small town newspapers when the candidate spoke in a backwater somewhere years ago--all have resurfaced in the heat of political battle for years.

The problem is much worse in the modern internet age, and with bloggers whose veracity could be open to question. With
Google and the worldwide web, everything is available now days and little or nothing is private.

Containing rumors and questionable stories, all of which may be total falsehoods, is next to impossible with the web. Legitimate, but embarassing information, is equally hard to quash.

The only real answer for the candidate is that in this era of information overload, people turn a deaf ear quickly and memories are short, so it's easier to ride things out than ever before. By doing nothing, chances are the massively overdone coverage of some new, relatively minor event will quickly overtake controversy and bury it.

Ask Bill Clinton. It only hurts for a little while, and the tide of events quickly puts it "out sight, out of mind." He's relied on, and even prospered, from that for years.