MARK SHIELDS: Well, Jim, these are different times, obviously. I mean, when Ed Muskie came to the defense of his wife, Jane, who was unfairly and viciously attacked by one of the really ugly men in American political history, William Loeb, the publisher of "Manchester Union Leader," who did front-page editorials titled "Kissinger the Kike" and "Moscow Muskie," questioning the patriotism and loyalty of Sen. Muskie, but when he, when he attacked Jane Muskie, it was too much, and Ed Muskie came to her defense. Ed Muskie didn't come from a touchy-feely era. This was before Alan Alda and Phil Donahue and people--inner child speaking and all the rest of it--and he did. He filled up with emotion at that moment, and, and somehow men were not supposed to do that at that time. And, and I think it, it became for many a sort of a cause for concern of some sort.
JIM LEHRER: That he lost control or something. That was the word.
SEN. MITCHELL: Look, he did choke up for a minute, but think about this. In this election year, if a candidate publicly defended his wife against a scurrilous, untrue attack, and choked up while doing it, I'll bet you it would help the candidate.
JIM LEHRER: Win by acclamation maybe.