Memories Should Always Match the Video Tape

That's the payoff line of a CBS report that is making the rounds on the internet about Hillary Clinton "misremembering" her visit to Bosnia as First Lady. There are two lessons here. The obvious one is when you are a public person, stick with the truth and don't embellish it. Someone, somewhere will have evidence to the contrary, and in this digital media age, probably video or audio actualities.

The second is more subtle. So how many people really saw this live on the CBS Evening News? No where near as many as have seen it now -- your correspondent included -- because the reference was picked up by new media aggregators like Drudge and blog sites like Politico. Thanks to YouTube, the clip itself lives forever -- far more damaging than a thousand editorials.