Credibility-sucking event

[johnlal]

This was originally posted in Bush/Conservatives:

Is there any name given to the event in a politician's career where you can see all of the credibility draining out of him? Not just a reversible gaffe, but THE moment where they just can't be trusted anymore. For instance:

Colin Powell: Four Star General, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State. His event came when he gave his lecture to the UN about the mobile weapons labs. Since that point in time, regardless of his prior accomplishments, everything he says has to be taken in light of that moment.

John McCain: This is a tricky one. When he gave Bush the big bear hug on stage at a campaign event, after he and his family were slimed by Bush in the primary, you might have thought that that was his event. But we still remember that he was a POW during the Viet Nam War, and that he was tortured. So he had some credibility in the arena of military affairs. But then, he had his staged "maverick" week, where he pretended to be opposed to the President's torture policy. Just a few days into his opposition, he and his fellow "hold-outs" struck a deal with the President, giving the President power to reinterpret the Geneva Conventions, and the very definition of "humane". THIS was his moment where we can't believe anything else he says.

Bob Dole: We always knew that Bob Dole was a slimy politician who would do anything to get elected, or for money. But every time you looked at Dole you were reminded that he was a disabled veteran. That gave him a type of honor that you just can't attack. But then during the Kerry campaign, Bob signed on to the Swift Boat story. In questioning whether Kerry deserved the Purple Heart, he quipped: As far as I know, he never bled. At that point in time, any credibility he ever had by virtue of being injured in combat flew out the window.

Some moments are easy:
Bush: First time he opened his mouth
George Allen: Macaca
Quayle: Potatoe
Scott McClellan: Ongoing Investigation

Some people never had credibility:
Tony Snow

Can you think of any other defining moments where the credibility can almost be seen flying out of a spent political carcass? What do we call this moment?

[Phredicles]

1. I think the phrase you're looking for is "jumping the shark"?

Bush the Elder: Heaving all over the Japanese prime minister, not recognizing the bar-code scanner on a cash register.

[johnlal]

2. Jumping the Shark! Of Course

Isn't it great to have the right phrase?