Here’s the video of Obama’s lipstick-on-a-pig remark:
I don’t think Obama meant to call Sarah Palin a pig, since there’s no upside for him to do so, but it’s very clear that his audience took him that way. You don’t get cheers and catcalls for an ordinary cliche.
What Obama should have done is disclaim the pig-as-Palin interpretation, while accepting some small responsibility for having been the one who actually chose the words. The problem with that is Obama would have to admit a mistake, which he is generally unable to do. Barring that, he has had to claim 100% innocence. But it’s disingenuous for him to argue that it was a purely innocent phrase when his own supporters took the insult and cheered.
McCain-Palin, on the other hand, should have stood back and taken it with good humor. It’s not a lie, and it’s not an attack on Palin’s family, which makes it less bad than 99% of what has been thrown at Palin lately. To get outraged at this cheapens their legitimate outrage at other attacks.
POSTSCRIPT: On the other hand, I can’t help playing the “if this were a Republican” game. Remember the hysteria when it was reported that Newt Gingrich, in a private conversation with his own mother, called Hillary Clinton a bitch? If McCain were the one who made this gaffe, the press would make it the defining moment of the campaign.
UPDATE: Well, they’re obviously not doing it my way.
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