Everyone makes mistakes, and politicians are no exception. And now, a new website called "Politwoops" is trying the nerves of U.S. lawmakers by cataloging all their regrettable, deleted tweets. Here's what you need to know about the illuminating, obsessive — and often hilarious — new tracker that has Washington abuzz:
What does the site do?
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Who made it?
The website is the brainchild of The Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to government transparency. Politwoops is modeled after a similar website in the Netherlands.
How does it work?
"The site scrapes the accounts of every pol with a Twitter account (and everyone currently or formerly running for the presidency)," says Sam Biddle at Gizmodo. When any of those Twitter accounts deletes a message, Politiwoops posts it, along with details on when the tweet was posted, how long it took to be deleted, and whether it was posted from a phone or computer.
Who is the most egregious Twitter offender?
It's hard to tell at this stage, but the Obama campaign has eight deletions under its belt, while Romney's camp has only one. Take a look here.
Sources: ABC News, Gizmodo, LA Times, The Sunlight Foundation
