The Press Needs some Lipstick

From Paris, the recent "controversy" over Barack Obama's "lipstick on a pig" remark looks just plain stupid, as does, frankly, the hand-wringing over the co-called Sarah Palin "phenomenon."  

As for the former, you can only view the statement one of two ways -- either Barack Obama innocently used an expression he's used before (as has John McCain), or he used it intentionally as a reference to Palin's statement at the Republican Convention that lipstick is the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull.  In either case, the appropriate response is -- who the hell cares?  If the former (an innocent statement), then the Republicans' reaction is inappropriate.  If the latter (and, personally, I hope it was an intentional reference, as I love a little clever creativity), the Republicans' reaction to me suggests that, as a "girl," Palin isn't tough enough to take a little clever shot like that, which to me means that the reaction was ... inappropriate.  But because this analysis is based upon reason, it misses the real point, which, I think is this:  Because the left has for so many years stupidly and inanely pounded the drum of identity politics and "victimhood," the right is all too ready to use that tool as a bludgeon, because, after all, what can the left really say about it?  For someone like me, who sits in the middle of the political spectrum, it is a little amusing to see the left get hoisted on its own petard.  What the left should do, if it were smart, is to reciprocate -- if the right is going to borrow from the left's playbook and play the "victim" card, the left should do likewise and borrow a little of the right's traditional emphasis on toughness.  If the right wants to pony up Palin as a "pit bull" or a "barracuda," the left ought to point out that crying foul over a remark like "lipstick on a pig" is hardly the sign of true toughness.  If I were Obama, I'd say ... 'grow up.'  What are we to expect -- Putin makes a mean, sexist remark and President Palin falls to pieces, then capitulates?  Of course not.  But this is exactly why this whole "controversy" is stupid.  I suspect that if Sarah Palin had any reaction to the "lipstick on a pig" remark, it was a grudging, 'Hey, that was pretty good.'  In other words, the whole controversy is just made up.

The real pig in all this is the press and, perhaps worse, the blogosphere, which feeds on this crap like a big old fat ugly catfish at the bottom of the Mississippi River (sorry to mix metaphors there).  With all the problems facing the U.S. and the world, we are spending time talking about something this inane?  Holy crud, I'm doing it too!  Incredible.  We are supposed to vote for Sarah Palin because she's young, nice looking (supposedly, although I confess to me there's something slightly scary about her demeanor that doesn't allow me to find her attractive), has a "hunk" for a husband (what the hell is all that commentary about?) and a down syndrome baby?  I don't get it.  I'm as qualified to be President as Sarah Palin (actually probably more qualified, since I at least have some background about things like, oh, the Constitution and American history and American political theory).  Obama needs to start getting serious.  Start calling McCain on his crap.  Be honest with the people; they want change, and McCain-Palin isn't it.  That's the bottom line.

Sorry this post was so rambling.  I'm tired, very tired, and, as an American overseas, a little embarrassed, too.  Is this the best our press can do?