Jon Chait makes a strong case that the Iseman story, if true, is as bad or worse than anything Clinton did. Even so, I think the path of wisdom on this, particularly for Obama, is to use it to set precedent rather than score points. Imagine if he held a press conference, waited for the inevitable question on the story, then said something like, "look, you want to ask me about his plan for a 100-years in Iraq or more tax cuts for the rich or better deals for telecom lobbyists, we can talk about that. But his personal life is not only none of my business but, frankly, it's none of yours." Indeed, he could hit the media even harder than that, slamming trivial coverage and the obsession with conflict and scandal more broadly. It's an argument that he can make defending an opponent but not defending himself. It would generate terrific press coverage, and probably have a salutary impact on how they covered the rest of the race. And, above all, making the principled case for McCain now would be protective for Obama when the inevitable personal attacks come at him.
