Mickey Kaus keeps it classy
August 09, 2010 1:38 pm ET by Jamison Foser
Erstwhile Slate blogger and failed Senate candidate Mickey Kaus again demonstrates why I once called him “Matt Drudge’s Mini-me”:
So Michelle Obama vacations in Spain with her daughter and an expensive posse, leaving her husband alone on his birthday and undermining his party's political chances (bad recession 'optics'). This is the sort of story on which I suspect there are three levels of perception:
1. Unsophisticated: Jeez, they must have had some kind of fight. She's pissed! This is a big 'screw you.'
2. Sophisticated and well informed: At their level everyone is too smart and experienced to let any kind of spat affect state affairs. These things get planned out well ahead of time by staff. Only the unsophisticated jump to conclusions on the basis of crude external appearances.
3. Real Insider: Jeez, they must have had some kind of fight. She's pissed! This is a big 'screw you.'
So, based on nothing more than the fact that Michelle Obama is in Spain, Mickey Kaus suggests that she and Barack Obama are fighting. It's almost hard to believe such a reasonable and thoughtful person only got less than six percent of the vote in the California Senate primary, isn't it?
But Kaus's complete lack of evidence is plenty for the Newsbusters crew: Melissa Clouthier quotes Kaus and hints darkly about “what's going on between President Obama and his wife,” concluding that “Barack and Michelle are fighting and she is so selfish she doesn't care how it looks” and Mark Finkelstein compares Michelle Obama unfavorably to his mom.

















Bad "optics"? Interesting... that's twice today that I've heard that talking point. Some Republican water-carrier used it on Morning Joe this morning. Gee, I wonder where it came from?
Remember their sit-in session in 2008 because they wanted Congress to vote to expand oil drilling?
These guys don't govern or legislate.
They just vamp for the DC insiders.
Considering the weeks of planning that undoubtedly went into the First Lady's trip, this imaginary fight must have taken place quite a long time ago.
It's not like she can walk out of the White House in a huff and scream, "Bring the car around and tell the jet to fuel up for Spain. I'm outta here!"