The Tootsie Issue

Words seldom fail him, but one has tripped Barack Obama up.

Yesterday he apologized to a Michigan reporter for calling her "sweetie." In a voicemail message, he mea-culpaed, "That's a bad habit of mine. I do it sometimes with all kinds of people. I mean no disrespect and so I am duly chastened on that front. Feel free to call me back."

But he may be an habitual offender. Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times points out that he used the word in addressing a Pennsylvania factory worker last month.

If Obama shares a ticket with Hillary Clinton, he'll have to watch his mouth