What's that joke about wrestling with a pig?

Everybody gets covered in shit, nothing gets resolved, and the pig enjoys it: (my bold)

COOPER: Candy joins us now. Candy, it is important to know the lipstick on a pig comment was also then immediately followed by another old saying about wrapping up a fish or something.

CROWLEY: Wrapping up a fish in new paper and it still stinks.

You know, also important to note that John McCain used the same expression to talk about Hillary Clinton's health care plan. So I think what this really does is just tell you the edginess of what's out there. And it is also, as we've mentioned, in the best interest of the McCain campaign, which is looking for women voters. They have been talking about sexism of late, thinking that some of the response to Sarah Palin was sexist. That's why you saw the Obama campaign come back and say look, they're trying to play the sexism card again.

We're also joined now by CNN senior political analyst, David Gergen and "Time" magazine's political guru, Mark Halperin. David, much ado about nothing?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, listen, you can say all you want, John McCain said this about Hillary's health care proposal. But it was still foolish for Barack Obama to say because every night is precious for him, Anderson, in terms of getting his message out.

This is one night lost on your program where his message got muffled by this silliness over lipstick on a pig.

COOPER: Mark, you're shaking your head.

MARK HALPERIN, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Stop the madness. I think, with all due respect to the program's focus on, listen to David just said. I think this is the press just absolutely playing into the McCain campaign's crocodile tears.

COOPER: Crocodile tears.

HALPERIN: Yes.

COOPER: They knew exactly what it is.

HALPERIN: They knew exactly what he was saying. It's an expression. And this is a victory for the McCain campaign in the sense that every day they can make this a pig fight in the mud. It's good for them because it's reducing Barack Obama's message even more.

But I think this is a low point in the day and one of the low days of our collective coverage of this campaign. To spend even a minute on this expression, I think, is amazing and outrageous.