Special Sub-Topic: Political Gaffes Click Here To Play: Political Gaffes

What politician has been forever branded as the man who cannot spell potato?

Dan Quayle. Vice President Dan Quayle, while visiting a school classroom, corrected a child who had written the word potato on a chalkboard during a spelling bee. Quayle's version? "Potatoe." Some have said the spelling card Quayle was given featured the misspelling. Later, when Bill Clinton referred to the Patriot missile as something that can "go through doors and down chimneys," Quayle quipped, "Bill Clinton knows less about national security than I do about spelling!" (Patriot missiles, unlike cruise missiles and smart bombs, are not designed to shoot objects on the ground with precision; rather, they are defensive missiles designed to shoot down other missiles in the air.)

Who said, "This is still the greatest country in the world, if we just steel our wills and lose our minds"?

Bill Clinton. From his October 1992 speech at the University of Florida, as reported in the "Plain Dealer."

What politician claimed that his mother, during his childhood, sung him "Look for the Union Label" as a lullaby?

Al Gore. Gore was addressing a union at the time. The problem with his comment? The song was written when Gore was 27.

Who said, "We are the president"?

Hillary Clinton. Then the First Lady, Hillary was refusing to turn over subpoenaed documents. "I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers," she said. "We are the president."

Who said of those who did not survive the San Francisco earthquake, "But, of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again"?

Barbara Boxer. As reported in the September 30, 1999 "St. Louis Post-Dispatch."

Who said, "They've managed to keep their unemployment low although their overall unemployment is high"?

Bill Clinton. As first reported in the Madison, Wisconsin "Capital Times."

What politician, when given a pop quiz by a reporter, could name only one of the four foreign leaders specified?

George W. Bush. WHDH-TV reporter Andy Hiller asked Bush to identify the leaders of Taiwan, Pakistan, Checnya, and India during the election campaign. Bush named one. Al Gore said he would have been able to name all four; this we can never know with certainty, however, as no reporter ever subjected Gore to a similar pop quiz. However, while on a 1993 trip to Monticello, Gore did point to carvings of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, asking the curator, "Who are these people?" His gaffe, however, was reported only in three papers: "New York Times," "USA Today," and "Newsday," while Bush's later pop quiz failure made headlines in virtually all of the national and local papers.

Who is commonly reported to have claimed credit for inventing the Internet?

Al Gore. In a CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer, Gore claimed, "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." Gore was probably referring to his support of legislation that increased funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPANET), a kind of precursor to the internet.

Who, during a political radio address, quipped, "I have just signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes"?

Ronald Reagan. On August 11, 1984, President Reagan made this joke during a voice test, probably unaware that it would be carried on the air. The media reacted in a frenzy, questioning whether Reagan's faux pas might ignite an international crisis.

What politician was mocked for claiming to be the inspiration for Erich Segal's novel, "Love Story"?

Al Gore. According to a 1997 issue of "Time" magazine, Gore said his old friend used him an his wife as models for the couple in "Love Story." Erich Segal himself claimed to be befuddled by the comment, and Gore said it was a misunderstanding.