Very few people on this planet have been as hard on a particular fellow named Obama as I have the last few months, but even my initial reaction was to cut the man some slack for the following exchange:
OK, so he's looked better. It is easy to chalk this one up to the usual high volume of demands placed upon any high profile candidate. And, do not get me wrong, it is easy to chalk it up to that for a damn good reason.
However, given the political climate we are in right now, it does show a marked lack of political savvy. Obama's camp has been dogged for some time with charges of elitism, not to mention the threat of sexism implicit when one is going against the highest profile female candidate in this nation's history. Obama's flippant little comment could be interpreted an example of either or both.
Look at it this way, would Obama have reacted like this had the reporter been from CNN or The New York Times as opposed to a local television station? Also, does it sound like the kind of thing one would say to a male reporter from anywhere?
The question becomes, in this heightened political environment, isn't this exactly the sort of thing you work extra hard to avoid? True, it is but a blip on the radar, but it displays a tin ear to top all tin ears.
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