Maybe He Meant Male Chinese Pig

It could have been a line that Joe Biden (D-Del.) had written. Or borrowed.

Biden has had plenty of cringe-worthy moments, and there will be more to come. Someone recently wrote (unfortunately I can’t remember or find it now) that Biden doesn’t generally say offensive things; it’s just that you cringe every time he speaks. Take this recent example where the Democrat vice presidential candidate told a supporter with obvious physical disabilities (he was in a wheelchair) to “stand up [and] let ’em see ya.”

Clearly he couldn’t. Just as clearly it was a mistake. But it seems to happen to Biden all the time.

Maybe Sen. Barack Obama’s (D–Ill.) swipe at the McCain-Palin ticket yesterday — using a trite saying that “you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig” — was, similarly, just a mistake. Not sure if that meant Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was the pig or the lipstick. Either way, not funny and inartful at best. If the Obama camp swiftly issues an apology, even a small one, the McCain camp should let it go and not be as petty as the Dem campaign has sunk.

If, however, Team Obama insists on defending such a remark, it will have to be viewed as part of a deceitful effort to inject soft sexism into their political attacks. Other parts of this strategy are their insistent talking point that Palin “read a great speech that was written for her” and Biden’s remark that Palin is “good-looking.” These underhanded attempts to put a woman “in her place” and marginalize her simply demonstrate the floundering of the Obama team. They have no idea how to deal with Palin.

Is it because — as Grady from the 1970s show “Sanford and Son” insisted — they are nothing but “male Chinese pigs”?

Their changed behavior will let us know which type of pig we’re dealing with.