NBC's Vieira conflated GOP candidates' own extramarital activities with those of Clinton's spouse

On the March 15 edition of NBC's Today, co-host Meredith Vieira asked Democratic presidential candidate and Sen. Barack Obama (IL) about "the marriage factor" in the 2008 election, saying that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) "all married multiple times." She added, "Plus, [Sen.] Hillary Clinton [D-NY] has had her marriage troubles as well."

Vieira's reference to Clinton in the same question as Giuliani, McCain, and Gingrich (here and here) suggests that Clinton's "marriage factor" issues are comparable to those of the Republican presidential candidates, overlooking the obvious difference: Giuliani, McCain, and Gingrich themselves have histories of extramarital relationships, while in Clinton's case, it is the conduct of her spouse to which Vieira was presumably referring.

CNN.com's Political Ticker uncritically noted Vieira's "marriage factor" question.

From the March 15 edition of NBC's Today:

VIEIRA: And one more question, this one about the presidential campaign. There's been a lot of discussion lately about the marriage factor and how that will play in the race. Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Newt Gingrich -- all married multiple times. Plus, Hillary Clinton has had her marriage troubles as well.

Do you think that the personal lives of candidates give us any indication of what kind of leaders they will be?

OBAMA: You know, I think, ultimately, people are going to make decisions on the basis of their track record -- a candidate's track record in the public sphere. You know, everybody has personal issues and the -- I think, ultimately, what people want to know is: What are you going to do on behalf of the American people? And that's how it should be.

VIEIRA: Will you make the personal issues of other candidates an issue in your race?

OBAMA: Absolutely not.

—B.J.L.