Foot-In-Mouth Disease.

Every year, Wired News compiles a list of the most entertaining tech-centric misstatements and verbal foibles from government officials, CEOs and tech luminaries (see Wired's website). I am not sure why the prize should be limited to techie misstatements. The news is full of such misstatements, and in the era of the hot mike, many public figures are like dumb criminals who rob liquor stores and seem not to realize that almost everywhere has a video camera these days, and blab about people "under their breath" but in full ear shot.

I will scour news reports for such events, and see what warrants mentioning over a week. Had I started this idea earlier, I would have given the prize with glee, to the sneering Jesse Jackson on his off-camera moment when he wanted to squeeze the nuts of now President-elect Obama. I guess when Reverend Jackson cried on the night of November 4, after the Senator was declared president-elect, it was not because he could feel a certain tightness below the belt.

For me, this week's prize would go to Governor Ed Rendell (Democrat, Pennsylvania, National Governors Association chairman. He got caught by the hot mike giving his views on President-elect Obama's choice of Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor Janet Napolitano (Democrat, Arizona).

"Janet's perfect for that job. Because for that job, you have to have no life. Janet has no family. Perfect. She can devote, literally, 19-20 hours a day to it."

After a barrage of criticism, Governor Rendell was quick to reinterpret his comments:

"What I meant is that Janet is a person who works 24/7, just like I do. She has no life. Neither do I."

I am not going to get into it about what defines a life and what having no family is supposed to mean. I hope that Governor Napolitano will feel secure in whatever new home she lands in the Washington area, and will always have the welcome mat ready for her old buddy, Ed.

Finally, we have to remember that Governor Rendell was the man who said last February (with regard to his own state), regarding then Senator Obama, "Some whites are not ready to vote for an African American candidate." I like the Governor's dancing afterwards to clarify his comments, which you can watch.