Here’s something John McCain and George Bush have in common: Both have trouble distinguishing people from things.

On Tuesday night McCain thanked his aides and volunteers, “who fought so hard and valiantly, month after month, in what at times seemed to be the most challenged campaign in modern times.”

The next morning, President Bush said, “I congratulated [McCain] on a determined campaign that he and Gov. Palin ran.”

Here’s the problem with these twins (as Hilary Clinton once put it): Their descriptions of the presidential campaign actually apply to people. The campaign challenged the candidates, but it was not a challenged campaign; it was a challenging campaign. Likewise, McCain’s campaign was not determined; its leaders were.

But then again, neither Bush nor McCain has been known for careful word choice.