Obama Response To ‘Lipstick’ Controversy Sparks New Outrage
Democratic Nominee’s Charge That Distortions Are ‘Catnip For The Media’ Said To Offend Nation’s Cat Owners
Republicans continued to pound Barack Obama today as the Democratic Senator attempted to put an end to the controversy over remarks earlier this week in which he called the McCain campaign’s posturing as change agents “putting lipstick on a pig.”
Speaking in Norfolk, Virginia, Obama said, “What their campaign has done this morning is the same game that has made people sick and tired of politics in this country. They seize on an innocent remark, try to take it out of context, throw up an outrageous ad because they know that it’s catnip for the news media.”
The McCain camp is currently testing two ads set for release this afternoon.
In the first ad, a faux-outraged, single woman swing-voter expresses dismay that Obama would compare the media to a drugged up cat. In the ad the woman is heard to tell her friend, “I am truly offended. My cat makes way more sense than Lou Dobbs.”
An ominous voice-over concludes, “Senator Obama hates cats and freedom of the press. Barack Obama wrong on neutering your pet. Wrong on saying Keith Olbermann looks like an Abyssinian pure bred. Wrong for America.”
A second McCain ad takes the Obama comments more personally. In the second ad, the initial footage shows Obama making his ‘catnip’ comment to the local Virginia audience. Suddenly, the ad cuts to a shot of John McCain, shirtless and in a karate stance.
“Is Obama calling me a pussy?” demands McCain. The standard tag line to political ads is tweaked as McCain says, “I’m John McCain and I’ll kick Obama’s ass.”
In other news, the Society for Responsible Journalism announced it will be closing its doors this month due to lack of members.
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New McCain ad panders to single women
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There is no doubt that the “lipstick” controvery has entered into the ridiculous zone. In context, there is no doubt that Obama was referring to John McCain, not to Sarah Palin. However, to my way of thinking, it was just as bad to call John McCain a pig as it would have been to call Sarah Palin one. Either way you translate it, it was a bad choice of words on Obama’s part.