LIke most things that conservatives recount...they either embellish or withhold...Too bad...this would be such a great time for the candidates to run on the issues rather than the normal tripe meant to belittle or discredit an opponent.McCain, of all people, should be sensitive to these types of barbs because of his previous encounters with his now best friend GWB, a one time political adversary.

If one uses one's family in one's campaign as added value in order to be elected, the following statement of Barack Obama:"I've said publicly before, and I'll say it again -- I think families are off limits", IS INVALID: you can't have the cookie and eat it too... Obama exposes his family for his own gain - the family becomes fair play.

Children should be off-limits but not spouses. If they go out campaigning, particularly if they have their own, independent event schedules, they're just like any other surrogate. It seems that Obama, the DNC, (and Salon in this case) want to say that under special circumstances that they alone choose, spouses are fair game but when it comes to Michelle's incendiary comments, hands off. Can anyone say, self-serving double standard?

If Obama doesn't want someone to say something bad about his wife then don't have her campaign. I just don't understand why she or any spouse should be allowed to speak on policy, to attack the opponent's policy but noone is allowed to dispute her (or him) or attack what she says. That is just plain silly and a little childish of the candidates to think that would happen.

I have a better idea, let's go with the rest of the world and keep those not running for office off the campaign trail. I want to hear from the candidate not his wife (or hopefully someday her husband). Personnally I think Mrs. Obama and Mrs. McCain are closet and frustrated politicians who wish they were running but didn't have the nerve to enter politics themselves so they do it through their husbands.

If you can't stand the heat stay home and bake cookies.

To republicans it is. Their tax returns contain dark and dirty things...

You are right. Neither Cindy McCain nor Michelle Obama will be elected officials as a result of the 2008 Presidential Elections. However, they are far from private citizens, at least, from the perspective on what the media can say about them. The case of Oliver Sipple pretty much demonstrates that if you put yourself in the media eye, they can pretty much look at everything about you. It's sleezy, scummy, and certainly not a laudable trait, but it's not, from a professional code of conduct standpoint, unethical.

If Cindy and Michelle didn't want to ever be in the limelight, they shouldn't have married men who had serious political aspirations. Their rights to privacy really don't stand up to the right of the public to know about one of the presumably greatest influences in a presidential candidate's life might be like.

I hate it when any campaign releases a statement that assumes the people reading it our stupid. The DNC demanding that Cindy McCain release her tax returns is not a personal attack.

I have seen many internet posters try to spread negative things about Cindy McCain. It is unfortunate but bound to continue IF the Repubs keep attacking Michelle ObamA.

First of all when was the last time any of you who are saying Michelle is not off limits heard what her policy arguments were? When were any of these arguments reported? Personally all I've seen her do is support her husband.

Secondly, and herein lies the major flaw. If it's policy arguments that you disagree with, then attack those. Calling her a 'baby mama', 'un-American', racist or elitist takes the dialogue into the gutter.

If Michelle wants to talk politics, then she is open for criticishm, NOT personal slime attacks.

Would you stop it already!!! The election is going to be between McCain and Obama (and Nader, the greens, libertarians and whoever else is at the table I guess). But it's not about Hillary anymore. That part is over. Obama/McCain. McCain/Obama. No Clinton. Write your books. Fill your personal blogs full of venom and frustration. Knock yourselves out; but the primary is over and HRC is not the candidate...anybody's. Stay on topic please.

If she isn't involved in the campaign, then she needs to stop campaigning. If she is representing him on the campaign trail, then she is a member of his campaign and what she says is subject to the same scrutiny as the words of any other representative.

IMO, this is just more of the same oblique sexism we've seen throughout this campaign. Michelle Obama is a strong woman who has a challenging career, but she is expected to be a good, supportive wife and put her life on hold for her spouse. In exchange, her husband is protecting her from all of those nasty reporters. Come on, let's be serious. If Michelle Obama can handle legal negotiations and raising children, then she is tough enough to stand up to the press. This is just more "working the ref" by Obama. It's an attempt to manipulate the media into not being critical of his wife, and to set up the Republicans for cricicism for bringing his wife into the campaign - a hypocritical act, since Obama himself brought her into the campaign.

Susan sunflower--

You should look up the word "unilateral." ALL candidates agreed to the rules for the primaries before they started. It was HILLARY's campaign that attempted to change them with regard to Michigan and Florida. HILLARY's campaign: that's the one that attempted to unilaterally change the rules mid-game.

It's time to move on.

that Obama is addressing these attacks in a forceful and timely way, yet not stooping to the level of the attack.

In this case, and also in the way he addressed McCain's criticism of his "inexperience" by correctly painting McCain as the pro-war candidate who helped drive us into the Iraq disaster.

I don't see that Obama will try and "rise above" these attacks as Kerry and Gore did, thereby allowing the attacks to succeed. He'll confront them directly and the confidence he demonstrates in doing so gives me confidence in his capabilities. The Swift Boat crew won't get a free pass this time around.