What Obama Should Have Said...

When I saw the cover of The New Yorker, I thought it was hilarious. My initial reaction about what they were trying to do and the statement they released coincided perfectly. I got it. Glad to have the confirmation, but...

Mr. Obama overreacted. Way overreacted. I think he should have laughed when he saw it and figured out what they were doing. After all, I got it. And I'm no Ivy League scholar.

When the press came around, he could have laughed and applauded the cartoon and spun it any way he wanted (What is The New Yorker going to do? Say, "Nope, he misread it, it was an all out attack on him..."?). Or, he could have gone with an uncomprehending stone face and said "I haven't seen that issue, but I also don't normally comment on CARTOONS!" Because, really, if he's worried about how he's portrayed and caricatured now, just wait. That smile, those ears, this guy is a caricaturist's dream*.

Just to save myself grief, let me say, I like Obama. I like him a lot**. Of course, I think either of the current candidates would be an improvement on the current president so vast that only astronomers can think in those terms. I just think Mr. Obama needed to handle this differently. Now, of course, that he's added fuel to the fire, he needs to never mention it again. Ever. And he needs to be seen reading a copy of The New Yorker in a couple of weeks.



* So is Mr. McCain.
** Not that way. Sheesh.