Covering Fingergate

Oh, my fucking god. This is what the media coverage of this campaign has come down to? Blogger Joseph Cannon, who voted for Obama before he turned on him, says that "this gesture is not accidental, and it certainly is not presidential."

Fox News: Did Obama Give a "Flip" Response to Clinton Attacks?

US News & World Report: Obama's Wayward Finger

If Obama did this on purpose, it's a sign of incredible immaturity. If he did it by accident, it's a sign of inexperience. If a president were to make an accidental gesture like that while talking about a foreign leader, for example, it could cause a global uproar.

One Youtube poster did the media's job and showed that the Obama was clearly just scratching an itch -- with two fingers not one. Watch it here. Yes that's right: video from another angle shows Obama scratching his face with TWO fingers. Have you ever flipped someone off using two fingers?

Watch Obama's full remarks here. He comments on "gotcha" and "slash and burn" politics and the ABC debate with intelligence and humor and passion and then says "but not this time!" He says that he is going to just brush off this sort of commetary, which he illustrates with an intentional gesture of brushing his shoulders. The media and parts of the blogospher respond by analysing and over-analysing whether Senator Obama was flipping off his opponent.

I never thought I would see the day when this blog would have higher journalist standards than the mainstream media.

This whole incident underscores everything Barack Obama said during and after the latest debate.

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