He Ate Dog Meat! Why Obama Should Apologize to Americans

Social media users in different countries give a tone to discussions of the news, determining the top story. And while Russians won’t leave the group, “Pussy Cat,” alone, Europeans are considering whether or not to attend the Euro-2010 soccer championship, Ukrainians are concerned with Yulia Timoshenko’s hunger strike, and in the United States — the masters of politics — President Barack Obama and his main rival in the 2012 elections, Republican Mitt Romney, have become the enemies of all dogs in the country.

Pre-election America, obviously tired of the mundane presidential campaign, is discussing the “dog fight” between the two main opponents with a vengeance. Obama’s camp has reminded Romney of an unpleasant incident with his dog, Seamus. Long ago in 1983, the politician’s family took a road trip to Canada. Their Irish Setter, Seamus, had to travel with the family, but there was no room in the actual car, so the dog spent the whole ride in a container on the roof. The trip lasted more than 10 hours. Out of fright, the unlucky animal got sick with diarrhea. But even this wasn’t enough for Romney to take the dog down from the roof.

For Romney’s rivals, this story became a great reason for mockery. Obama’s adviser, David Axelrod, posted a photo on Twitter showing the president sitting in his limousine, hugging the “First Dog” Bo. “How loving owners transport their dogs,” Axelrod wrote snidely.

Romney didn’t stay in the red and brought to light a quote from Obama’s autobiography, “Dreams From My Father.” In the book, the president confessed that, as a child, he tried dog meat. “Obama Ate Dog Meat” became a main post on social media networks. “ObamaDogRecipies” was at the top of Twitter topics for a few days.

Memes appeared on social media networks, with little puppies hiding in the woods with the words, “Must Stay Hidden, Obama is Hungry,” while others looked pleadingly into one’s eyes and said, “No, you can’t.” And a witty title over the president jogging with Bo through the halls of the White House: “C’mon Bo, let’s check out the kitchen!” Activists organized a social campaign: “Dogs Against Obama,” proclaiming, “Friends, Not Food, Mr. President?”

Obama’s previous opponent, Sen. John McCain, hasn’t stood on the sidelines, publishing a photo of his family pet with the caption: “I’m sorry, Mr. President; he’s not on the menu!”

Romney’s rivals aren’t lagging behind in the “dog fight.” On their websites you can not only join in on the Republican’s flogging, but also buy a T-shirt with the words, “Dogs Against Romney.”

It wasn’t just the bloggers and politicians who went their different ways. Humorous jokes also appeared in the media: The president’s Secret Service purportedly broke into the Republicans’ headquarters and stole Huckabee, the official campaign dog; according to some reports, Obama ate a burger with dog meat; in retaliation, Republicans “stole” Bo, the presidential dog, and tried to tie him to the roof of their car, but the dog ran away.

The public is divided: Voters are asking one another what’s worse, eating dog meat or locking a dog in a carrier for a few hours on the roof of a car, frightened half to death? The president is being criticized not just because he ate dog meat, but also because he wrote so calmly about his childhood culinary experiments. And a group on Facebook threw stones in Romney’s garden, and participants proudly posted photos of their dogs wearing bandanas with the inscription, “I ride inside.”

Despite these accusations of animal cruelty, instead of publicly apologizing — something the American electorate is so fond of — Romney and Obama are trying to justify their actions. Above all, Romney is confident that his dog liked to ride in the carrier. And during an official lunch at the White House, Obama tried to convince his guests, “My stepfather always told me, ‘It’s a boy-eat-dog world out there.’ ”

However, it would be better if American politicians took a few lessons from the experts, for example, from the Spanish king. Recently a photograph appeared in the media with King Juan Carlos I holding a gun to a dead elephant in Botswana. There was no limit to the indignation of the Spanish people. Animal welfare advocates demanded that the monarch be stripped of his role as honorary chairman of the Spanish branch of the World Wildlife Fund. Juan Carlos caught himself just in time and confessed to his mistake, promising to never again hunt elephants. A terrific strategy for Obama and Romney, who will be forced to eat more dog meat on the election campaign — in the figurative sense.