The blogosphere had a decent showing this past election. Netroots, that intersection of the Net and grassroots mobilization efforts, had an impact on the Senate seats in Montana and Virginia as well as other races. And everyone from media to regional registrars looked to the web for real-time reporting of ballot fraud and electronic voting issues.

What seemed to be missing was that genuine sense of on-line passion we’ve seen in years past when the blogosphere and Netroots were hardly a twinkle in Howard Dean’s eye. That sense of mass political mobilization and the political social networking that the Deaniacs started in 2004 wasn’t there this time around.

Arguably that’s because we were in the netherworld of a mid-term election and burning issues like gay marriage were replaced by something as important yet complicated as healthcare reform.

Where we saw the blogosphere ready to flex its muscle was in the happy dismantling of fumbling politcos who left themselves wide open for a good old digital whooping. From Mark Foley to George Allen, the blogosphere had a field day with wayward nominees.

YouTube was the common factor in much of this chatter, simply serving up savory soundbites like Allen’s “Macaca” line or Foley’s previous comments on, uh, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. And post-election, YouTube continues to be the stage for verbal miscues like Rush Limbaugh’s MOL admission of lying to avoid a conservative election crash.

The lesson for professional communicators: Anything you say can and will be used against you on YouTube and across the blogosphere – whether it’s archived statements like Foley’s or off the cuff gaffe’s like Allen’s.

It’s long been known that everything a leader says is on the record (how about Jimmy Carter’s “I’ve committed adultery in my heart” remark way back with Playboy?) and that the microphone is always on (remember Bush #1’s “Kicked a little ass last night” reference to his debate with Geraldine Ferraro?).

But now those blunders can be repeated in real time and over and over and over again. In the hundreds of millions courtesy of consumer media replay sites.

It’s all a metaphor for comms and the executives we represent and counsel. We want our spokespeople to be spontaneous and quotable, fresh and authentic, but it can come at a price.

If you’re going to say it, say it right, say it true. Or don’t say it at all.

The world is watching, literally.