Cliche of the 2008 Campaign

The 2006 campaign gave us "at the end of the day." It was the most commonly used phrase by newscasters, politicians and pundits when making a point.

In 08, the word is "pivot." Notice how often this word is creeping into public discourse about the campaign. As in, "the long primary campaign now over, Obama will pivot to focus on the fall campaign against John McCain."

Or, "after remarking on the historic nature of her own candidacy, Clinton pivoted to tout her support for the historic campaign of Barack Obama."

It's even made it as a Wall Street Journal headline:

After Mixed Primary Performance, Pollsters Pivot Toward November

Clearly, for 2008, this word is, well, pivotal.