CNN) -- Sexism or just good-natured fun between new best friends?
You decide. We found this photo posted on The Washington Post's
Web site. Take a good look.
The guy on the left ... the one cupping Hillary Clinton's breast on this
cardboard cutout, that would be President-elect Obama's chief
speechwriter, Jon Favreau. He struck this rather intriguing pose at
a party, and then, bummer for him, the photo got posted by a pal on
Facebook.
Jon, I'm not even going to go after you for this, because it is just too
easy. It is shooting fish in a barrel. My 1-month-old kid could look
at this picture of you and say, if he could talk yet, "what a total idiot
move."
So, I'm not even going to bother. You know how incredibly stupid
that was.This is what I am struck by: Sen. Clinton's response.
Jon Favreau has, apparently, "reached out to Sen. Clinton to offer
an apology." No surprise there, but according to The Post, it doesn't
seem like that was even necessary.
A Clinton spokesman described the photo as an example of just
good-natured fun between former rival camps. The Post quotes
Sen. Clinton's adviser Philippe Reines as saying, quote, "Sen. Clinton
is pleased to learn of Jon's obvious interest in the State Department,
and is currently reviewing his application."
No harm, no foul -- apparently.
I'm sorry, but this is the same woman who, during the campaign,
pointed to example after example of sexism directed at her saying
that, quote, "It's been deeply offensive to millions of women"?
Is this the same woman who pointed out the references to
her cleavage or her cackle, the comments by certain pundits
and the media?
The same woman who concluded, quote, "the remnants of sexism
are alive and well" after someone at a rally shouted out "iron my
shirt"?
She made a point of calling people out during the campaign, and
for that, she became a hero to millions of women. But now, the
campaign is over.
She is joining Team Obama, and, apparently, this photo of her
likeness being groped by another key member of Obama's team
doesn't bother her a bit. Just good-natured fun, or so her spokesman says.
Really, Sen. Clinton? Boy, have you changed your tune. You really
think this photo is OK?
Put another woman in that photo, just an average woman who
supported you during the campaign. Have it be her image being
degraded by a colleague of hers. Would you be OK with that?You drove an important conversation about issues just like this
during the campaign.
Michelle Malkin notes the double standard: "Can you imagine if a GOP White
House speechwriter were caught doing the same?" No way would a Republican
speechwriter still be working in D.C. if he had done this. Women groups probably
would have asked for him to be fired. (I'll let you judge if this guy should have
been fired or not.) It seems that fellow liberals give each other the benefit of the
doubt that they are not sexist that they do not grant to conservatives.