Obama's "lipstick on a pig" line has been getting a lot of attention, especially with his follow-up comments today, but the line that preceded it hasn't (via Fox News):
Barack Obama responded Wednesday to the John McCain campaign's call for an apology concerning his "lipstick on a pig" remarks, by calling the controversy "phony and foolish" and defending it as an "innocent remark" that was taken out of context.Obama said his comment was meant to compare the policies of McCain to those of President Bush, and was in no way a reference to Republican vice presidential Sarah Palin.
Obama accused the McCain campaign of "lies and phony outrage" and "Swift-boat politics." He said the "made-up controversy" was "cat nip for the news media."
The Illinois senator used the pig analogy at a campaign event in Lebanon, Va., on Tuesday while describing his Republican opponents.
"John McCain says he's about change, too, and so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out George Bush.' Except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics ... That's not change. That's just calling something the same thing, something different," Obama said.
Bob Owens points out that the line appears to be borrowed from a Tom Toles cartoon:
Update: The line was borrowed from the cartoon -- a reader said that Obama referenced the cartoon on MSNBC with Keith Olbermann a few days before the speech. Democrats criticized Palin for repeating lines written by Bush's speechwriter. Maybe they wouldn't have criticized her if they had been written by a cartoonist.
Update II: I forgot that Toles is the cartoonist who created this horribly offensive cartoon that got a lot of attention a couple of years ago. The Obama campaign made quite a big deal over the fact that one of President Bush's speech writers wrote Sarah Palin's speech. Since Obama says it matters who writes your material, then this must be pretty darn relevant.
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Comments (20)
Cease this slander immediat... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Baron Von Ottomatic | September 10, 2008 1:17 PM | Score: 11 (11 votes cast)
Cease this slander immediately, Barrack Obama writes all his speeches.
When he doesn't come down from the mountain top carrying his words etched on two stone tablets by the Lord, that is.
1. Posted by Baron Von Ottomatic | September 10, 2008 1:17 PM |
Score: 11 (11 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 13:17
2. Posted by DaveD | September 10, 2008 1:23 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
"Barack Obama responded Wednesday to the John McCain campaign's call for an apology concerning his "lipstick on a pig" remarks, by calling the controversy "phony and foolish" and defending it as an "innocent remark" that was taken out of context."
He used to use the word distraction, I think, earlier on in his campaign.
2. Posted by DaveD | September 10, 2008 1:23 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 13:23
3. Posted by Mike | September 10, 2008 1:27 PM | Score: 10 (10 votes cast)
I'm sure Biden gave his approval.
"Go ahead Barack, it's no big deal. I used to copy other people's stuff all the time."
3. Posted by Mike | September 10, 2008 1:27 PM |
Score: 10 (10 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 13:27
4. Posted by James | September 10, 2008 1:29 PM | Score: -14 (14 votes cast)
Obama clearly attributed Toles cartoon days before on Olbermann's Countdown interview with him.
Too busy watching Sean Hannity and Billo?
4. Posted by James | September 10, 2008 1:29 PM |
Score: -14 (14 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 13:29
5. Posted by Larry | September 10, 2008 1:40 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Wait a minute. I have it on the authority of the all knowing one, Lee Ward, that Obama writes every word in all of his speeches. That Obama would have learned something from Biden never entered my mind.
5. Posted by Larry | September 10, 2008 1:40 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 13:40
6. Posted by James | September 10, 2008 1:43 PM | Score: -11 (11 votes cast)
You people are clearly sycophantic stenographers. A worthless lot, a useless site.
6. Posted by James | September 10, 2008 1:43 PM |
Score: -11 (11 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 13:43
7. Posted by LaMedusa | September 10, 2008 1:45 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Ha! I love the stereotypes in the cartoon, like they really mean anything. I wonder how many every day Americans, (or even Obama), understands what "Rove style" politics is. This the stupid "inside joke" that they think will make a difference.
7. Posted by LaMedusa | September 10, 2008 1:45 PM |
Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 13:45
8. Posted by jwehman | September 10, 2008 2:14 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
" Obama clearly attributed Toles cartoon days before on Olbermann's Countdown interview with him." - James
Well, yes he did reference that cartoon on Olby's interview...here's the quote:
"You know, when I hear John McCain suggest that he is going to bring about change, I am reminded of the cartoon that Tom Toles did in "The Washington Post" where he has McCain say: "Watch out, George Bush, with the exception of the economy, tax policy, foreign policy, health care policy, education policy, and Karl Rove politics, we're really going to shake things up in Washington."
However - in the speech he made on Tuesday, there was no such attribution - he simply spoke those words as if they were his own...
8. Posted by jwehman | September 10, 2008 2:14 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 14:14
9. Posted by DJ Drummond | September 10, 2008 2:19 PM | Score: 7 (13 votes cast)
James: "on Olbermann's Countdown interview"
Olbermann ...? Oh, you mean that fellow who wanted to be one of the new 3 Stooges, but he lacked the gravitas for the role?
9. Posted by DJ Drummond | September 10, 2008 2:19 PM |
Score: 7 (13 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 14:19
10. Posted by Ran56 | September 10, 2008 2:26 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
LMAO!.. good shot DJ!
10. Posted by Ran56 | September 10, 2008 2:26 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 14:26
11. Posted by Falze | September 10, 2008 2:29 PM | Score: 12 (12 votes cast)
Let me get this straight...
Atrributed or not...the Democratic candidate for President of the United States of America aka the Leader of the Free World is now basing parts of his stump speech on what he sees in editorial cartoons?
11. Posted by Falze | September 10, 2008 2:29 PM |
Score: 12 (12 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 14:29
12. Posted by Falze | September 10, 2008 2:31 PM | Score: 9 (9 votes cast)
(and, by the way, you wanna talk about Gov. Palin being in the heads of the left? they're STILL obsessing over Rove. he must live under their beds when they go to sleep or something)
12. Posted by Falze | September 10, 2008 2:31 PM |
Score: 9 (9 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 14:31
13. Posted by David | September 10, 2008 2:58 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Umm, 'cuse me ummm uhhhh Mr. Obama, ummm uhhhh Can I ummm well you know uhhhh ummmmm use, well ummmm use your ummmmm speech statement about ummmmm uhhhh you know ummmmm the one ummmm uhhh about change toward ummmm you know the uhhhhh one. The one ummmmmm you added pigs and ummm lipstick to. The umm funny one ummm, You umm know the one similar too ummm Toles. Yeh, uhhh the one ummm like Toles. I apoligize ummm for any unclarity, ummm, for what I am uhhhmmmm asking for, I don't have a ummmm teleprompter.
13. Posted by David | September 10, 2008 2:58 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 14:58
14. Posted by LaMedusa | September 10, 2008 3:14 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
"I apoligize ummm for any unclarity, ummm, for what I am uhhhmmmm asking for, I don't have a ummmm teleprompter."
lol That happens when he just looks down for a second, too. Total lack of concentration, even during the pig/lipstick remark.
14. Posted by LaMedusa | September 10, 2008 3:14 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 15:14
15. Posted by SAHMmy | September 10, 2008 3:28 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Keith Olbermann? Who the hell watches Keith Olbermann? He might have a shot of an audience if he interviewed elsewhere....
15. Posted by SAHMmy | September 10, 2008 3:28 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 15:28
16. Posted by Neo | September 10, 2008 4:18 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
It seems the entire "Lipstick on a Pig" story may have been, at least in part, a diversion to take interest away from the the discovery by the NYT that Obama worked on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.
The piece is considered "unusually deceptive" and an excellent example of "propaganda" by those familiar with his efforts there, but it could simply be that the writer, Sam Dillon, is primarily a writer about education and unfamiliar with the political implications of the story.
Unexplored was why Obama seems to have left out this job from his resume. Considering Obama has been taking a pummeling for not having any executive experience, this would be an excellent comeback for Obama to all those complaints by McCain and Palin.
16. Posted by Neo | September 10, 2008 4:18 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 16:18
17. Posted by marc | September 10, 2008 4:38 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
James - "Obama clearly attributed Toles cartoon days before on Olbermann's Countdown interview with him."
As jwehman noted apparently OB did note the cartoon, however, recycling it as he did is most certainly just as you describe wizbang commenters in the quote below, OB is just a "sycophantic stenographer."
"You people are clearly sycophantic stenographers. A worthless lot, a useless site."
And which site is more useful in your "esteemed" opinion?
17. Posted by marc | September 10, 2008 4:38 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 16:38
18. Posted by Webster | September 10, 2008 7:14 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Clearly Obama is gaining useful experience from seasoned plagiarist Biden. A beautiful thing.
18. Posted by Webster | September 10, 2008 7:14 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 19:14
19. Posted by Mark Ducharme
| September 10, 2008 10:34 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
If Obambi becomes POTUS, I'm gonna go live with Jhonny Depp in france.
19. Posted by Mark Ducharme
| September 10, 2008 10:34 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on September 10, 2008 22:34
20. Posted by A. Blinken | September 15, 2008 7:57 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I'm sure Toles doesn't really mind Obama using his line; they're both Commie hacks.
20. Posted by A. Blinken | September 15, 2008 7:57 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on September 15, 2008 19:57