Obama: Stop the Sexual Madness!

It’s not just a question of DSK. It’s also about Obama. The hysteria surrounding the sex lives of men in the public eye in the U.S. has reached a new level after Mark Halperin, a senior political analyst for MSNBC, used the word “dick” in discussing President Obama speaking about the U.S. debt during his most recent press conference on the subject. The term is used as an insult, similar to “connard” (asshole). It even has the phonetic sound.

The last time America hit the roof over an outburst was during a congressional speech on health care reform in September 2009, when Republican Congressman Joe Wilson yelled “You lie!” causing his popularity to take a nose-dive and plunging the country into indignation. With Halperin, a huge leap has been taken. It might as well be an abyss.

Known for his anti-Obama convictions, Halperin had just explained to Time magazine that the president of the United States is done for in his re-election campaign. And he literally “threw up” his animosity by declaring on MSNBC that the prez had been, you know, imb—table* during his last speech on American debt management and negotiations with the political opposition.

Obviously the president cannot use such vulgarities. The White House declared Halperin’s words “inappropriate.” MSNBC apologized for the “inappropriate and unacceptable” behavior. Halperin was indefinitely suspended. The first to fire the shot wasn’t in the right this time?

*Translator’s Note: The writer probably meant to use “imbitable,” in a continuation of the wordplay on “bite” as the French equivalent of “dick.”