Political cliche watch

Just what is Kerry's "secret weapon"? Agence France Presse reports that it is Teresa Heinz Kerry.

But CJR's Campaign Desk notes that the phrase is already sounding stale.

Just how many "secret weapons" has the eagle-eyed campaign press uncovered in the candidates' stockpiles this election season? We were willing to bet there were many.

We bet correctly. And wives, our research tells us, are in fact the least secret of all "secret weapons" the press has discovered this year. Among the press outlets "in" on the alleged Heinz Kerry "secret": the Boston Herald, the Boston Globe, the Los Angles Times, the New York Times, MSNBC, and CNN (and they went public with it twice).

Laura Bush, being a wife, is also a "secret weapon" for her husband, reporters report. The following journalists have let this particular cat out of the bag so far this campaign season: CBS's Dan Rather and Bill Plante (on separate occasions), ABC's Diane Sawyer, NBC's David Gregory, and CNBC's Gloria Borger and Sue Herera (each on their own). Paula Zahn, of CNN, actually called Mrs. Bush "the president's not-so-secret weapon" in June -- apparently, the word had gotten out by then.

Secret weapons include wives, children, siblings, the swing demographic, minorities, radio hosts ...

Really, enough.