Chelsea Clinton’s debut as a campaign attack dog was disastrous.  As disastrous as her mother’s attempted quip about wiping a server “with a cloth.”  As disastrous as her stint as an overpaid NBC correspondent.  It was so bad that her mother’s campaign is distancing itself from her comments.

Jonathan Easely and Amie Parenes report in The Hill:

Making her first solo appearance on the stump, Chelsea Clinton late Tuesday ripped Sanders over his proposals on healthcare and college affordability, arguing the White House hopeful wants to “dismantle” ObamaCare and Medicare.

Democrats have almost universally panned the attack, believing it to be ineffective and a misuse of her talents.

She claimed, "Sen. Sanders wants to dismantle [she pronounces it 'dismannel'] Obamacare, dismantle the CHIP program, dismantle Medicare, and dismantle private insurance."

Well, yes, but he wants to replace it with the half-century-long wet dream of Democrats, single-payer government health care, as they have in Canada.  Left-leaning PolitiFact discredited the claim:

Given that Sanders’ proposed plan specifically calls health insurance an entitlement for all, we found that this is a mischaracterization at best.

Dems are, for the most part, appalled, although many are trying to be polite, given that Chelsea is the precious sole offspring of the Clintons and has been off limits for criticism her entire life:

Following Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, CNN played the clip of Chelsea Clinton’s criticism directly to Sanders. The Vermont senator held back a wry smile as he offered a measured rebuke of Chelsea, who is nearly 40 years his junior.

“As much as I admire Chelsea, she didn’t read the plan,” he said.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who is one of only two members of Congress who has endorsed Sanders for president, told The Hill the attacks are a sign the Clinton campaign is worried about Sanders’s rise in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“I perhaps could see it coming from Bill, but I was taken aback hearing it from Chelsea,” said Grijalva, who backed President Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2008 after first endorsing John Edwards.

“I was surprised and thought it was out of character. It seems the Clinton campaign is going into full destruction mode very early in this process.”

In response, the campaign is disclaiming any responsibility for Chelsea’s blunder:

Asked if she would continue to attack Sanders and whether she’s suited for the role, [campaign spokesman Brian] Fallon called Chelsea Clinton “policy-obsessed” and said the attack lines had not been planned.

As in, Chelsea was shooting off her mouth, and we don’t agree with her.

It may be time for the campaign to start calling her Chelsea Mezvinsky.  But then again, that family name belongs to a father-in-law who was imprisoned for fraud, and prison is becoming an increasingly sensitive topic for Hillary.

Hat tip: Daniel Halper, TWS