Watch What Comes Over Your Lips

I am contributing to the disgusting political propaganda battles simply by mentioning this. But I have to mention it. When something like this is a lead story on at least one national news program, the offering of opinions is de rigueur, even from the lowliest of us.

When I saw the clip last night of Barack Obama's quip, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," my first reaction occurred before he even got to that now infamous moment: I was thinking about how exhausted and tired he looked and sounded. Predictably, I was jarred from this reflective moment when he hit his pig note. I winced, not because I thought he was calling Sarah Palin a pig, but because I knew he'd made a huge blunder. And a huge blunder it was.

I will say it -- I don't think Sen. Obama was talking about Sarah Palin. Of course, I don't know motives, I can't read minds. I just think it strains credulity to think he meant to insult Sarah Palin.

But what was very clear to me -- wasn't it clear to you? -- was that the audience perceived his remarks as a dig at Gov. Palin.

Look. Right now, lipstick is a political term, and Sarah Palin owns it. She introduced it to this political season; she scored hugely at the Republican National Convention with her pitbull-in-lipstick joke. We all know this. And I mean all.

With that said, the salient feature of Sen. Obama's gaffe -- and it was a tone-deaf gaffe -- is that when he paused after saying "You can put lipstick on a pig," the audience began to whoop and holler in approval. Indubitably, the audience made the connection to Gov. Palin, even if Barack Obama did not. And if Barack Obama was not ridiculous, it is safe to say that his audience was; it was their reaction that fueled this whole thing.

Imagine, however, that Sen. Obama caught himself mid-sentence. What would have happened had he backed out of his comment? I think he would have gotten much the same sort of response he received from the Republicans and from his live audience. It was a damned-if-you-do-damned-if, well, you know what I mean.

Is this all manufactured umbrage? Is this disingenuous outrage? Maybe. The fact is that the critics in the media and the highest levels of the Democratic Party have been quite critical of Gov. Palin. Tensions are high; there is a truly sensitive nerve out there that a PRESIDENT Obama needs to understand. He needs to convey to voters that he has the sensitivity to analyze his speech before he makes blatantly stupid remarks that strike that nerve. And by stupid, I mean politically stupid. In a very real way, this is an issue that he manufactured; it is not at all unlike Dan Quayle misspelling potato.

Personally, I chalk it up to fatigue. He sounds and looks tired. At least he did when he made his silly mistake.

(I have heard people justify Sen. Obama's "joke" by pointing out that John McCain has essentially used the same pig-in-lipstick metaphor. Two things. First, the clip I just watched of Sen. McCain using that expression on the campaign trail included a qualification that he did not like to use such language. Second, it should be noted that John McCain did not use the expression AFTER someone in the race had essentially patented the word lipstick.)

In closing, I think the Republicans could harm themselves by making more of this than is necessary. Both parties should abstain from making victims out of one another. The cross-cancelling effect is likely, especially if it cancels the interests of the electorate.

Peace.

PS. I note that after Sen. Obama mentioned the lipsticked pig, he went on to compare Sen. McCain's policies to an "old fish" wrapped in paper. I guess some analysts think this is a reference to Gov. Palin and her husband's fish business. Is this a huge a reach, or am I just a dope? Tell me it's a reach.
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