I dub this scandal, 'Tailgate!'

Posted July 10, 2009 at 8:10 PM

http://exurbanleague.com/2009/07/10/i-dub-this-scandal-tailgate.aspx?ref=rss

This morning, I was mulling names for the "Obama Ogling the 17-Year-Old" controversy -- a.k.a., The Scandal of the Millennium. While my first ideas were JailbaitGate or Bootiequiddick, ARMEDnHAMMERED on Twitter recommended that I use the far better term, "Tailgate." So let it be written, so let it be done!

After Exurban League broke the story of the young lady's name and age, many blogs and news agencies followed. While we played it for laughs, it didn't take long to receive reminders that joking about Obama is frowned upon by the MSM. If there was a photo of Bush sneaking a peek, it would "prove" his evangelical hypocrisy, good-ol'-boy sexism and all-around crassness. But when there's a funny pic of Obama, it must be debunked.

The video's inconclusive, but the MSM tone -- while funny -- is still revealing. Obama couldn't possibly be giving the Brazilian girl the once over. Why, that would make him human. No, it must be that Obama cares so deeply for the safety of the young woman behind him; he couldn't contemplate doing something bazillions of men do several times a day.

We're not alleging Obama's Sir Mix-a-lot, just that he's human. Lighten up.

Look, when Palin's caught in a embarrassment, it "proves" her incompetence, if not malice. Accordingly, the media gleefully piles on. It's so bad that the press regularly reports that Tina Fey's parody lines are things Palin actually said. The looniest Daily Kos theories are casually reported as fact.

To the contrary, when Biden far more frequently embarrasses himself, it is either ignored or dismissed as "that's just Joe being Joe!" It proves what a fun, "regular guy" we have serving us in the White House.

But with Obama, the change is even more obvious. By the media's definition, Obama is simply incapable of gaffes. He is without question the most competent, experienced and ethical executive in the history of the United States -- if not the world. The very model of intellect, fatherhood, health and utter hipness. And don't you dare say otherwise.

I don't know anyone on the Right who thinks Obama glancing at a cute girl is a big deal. If he did it knowing her age range, it definitely adds to the ick factor, but still isn't an impeachable offense. Only a perfect man could avoid even the appearance of impropriety 24/7. So why is the MSM selling Obama as that perfect man?