Washington ? Say what? The 2008 presidential campaign theme could be “Oops! What I meant was …”

Just about every Republican and Democrat has flubbed an answer to a question or made a borderline inappropriate comment – some so uncomfortable they make you cringe – only to take back the remarks or seek to clarify them later when under fire.

Candidates of all stripes have become extremely sensitive to the Internet era and painfully aware of video-sharing Web sites such as YouTube that allow images and audio to be posted online immediately.

“In the olden days, this wasn’t an issue because if you said something that could be problematic, you just denied that you said it,” said Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant. “These days, it’s too easy to have cold, hard proof.”

Among the recent gaffes:

¢ Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, defended his five sons’ decisions not to enlist in the military and said “one of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected.” Later, the Republican said he misspoke, explaining: “I didn’t mean in any way to compare service in the country with my boys in any way.”

¢ Giuliani, the New York City mayor during the terrorist attacks, claimed he was at ground zero “as often, if not more, than most of the workers” and was exposed to the same health risks. After drawing the ire of some firefighters, he acknowledged: “I could have said it better” and “What I was saying was: ‘I’m there with you.'”

¢ Richardson, New Mexico’s governor, said “It’s a choice” and then “you know, I’m not a scientist” when gay-rights activists asked during a forum whether people are born gay or whether they choose homosexuality. He quickly clarified.

¢ John McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona known for his off-the-cuff style, twice has clarified comments. In separate instances, he referred to U.S. lives lost in Iraq as “wasted” and used the term “tar baby,” which some people consider a racial epithet. In both cases, he quickly said he regretted his word choice.

¢ Barack Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, also apologized for using the word “wasted” about U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. During a campaign speech in Virginia, he drastically overstated the death toll in the springtime tornado in Greensburg, Kan., saying, “Ten thousand people died – an entire town destroyed.” The actual death toll was 12. “There are going to be times when I make mistakes,” Obama said then, recognizing his mistake before his speech ended.

The lesson? Watch what you say.