Fox's Griff Jenkins on Obama bike ride: "Where is he going? ... [M]aybe to get a pocket protector for his nerd pencils"

Summary: On Live Desk, Griff Jenkins said of a recent photo of Sen. Barack Obama taking a bicycle ride: "Where is he going? And I was thinking, maybe to get a pocket protector for his nerd pencils. What is that?"

On the June 9 edition of Fox News' Live Desk with Martha MacCallum, blogger and Fox News correspondent Griff Jenkins said of a recent photo of Sen. Barack Obama taking a bicycle ride: "Where is he going? And I was thinking, maybe to get a pocket protector for his nerd pencils. What is that?" Jenkins went on to contrast Obama's photo with photos of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) taking bike rides, describing Bush's photo as follows: "[Y]ou got a manly mountain bike coming down the trails, a strong bike -- it fits him." He continued:

You got Kerry, looks like he's doing the Ironman, very triathlete-looking. He is an athlete of course and rides bikes competitively I'm told, back in the day, and that's what the campaign was trying to do. And then they let Senator Obama be seen with jeans and sneakers, looks like Jerry Seinfeld.

Following Jenkins' comments, host Martha MacCallum stated, "I think you're being too hard on him. I think Barack Obama is so cool that it's almost good for him to look a little bit nerdy -- 'cause he always looks so cool." Jenkins responded: "Don't say that. Listen, somebody on the Obama campaign -- I know it's tough to talk to your boss and you don't want to tell him these hard things because he's running for president but please do it. You gotta let him know."

From the June 9 edition of Fox News' Live Desk with Martha MacCallum:

MacCALLUM: And Barack Obama, taking a break from the campaign trail over the weekend. He played a little bit of golf, we're told, he took Michelle out for dinner, and helped his 7-year-old daughter's slumber party, which is always a sleepless night for any parent that's been through that. But one weekend activity is getting some buzz on the blogs.

Griff Jenkins is a blogger at Griffnotes.com and a Fox News correspondent. What? Put the picture back up again, you guys.

JENKINS: Yeah.

MacCALLUM: What's wrong with -- what's wrong with him? He's going for a ride on his bike.

JENKINS: Well, here's what no one's said yet, and Anita just asked me: Where is he going? And I was thinking, maybe to get a pocket protector for his nerd pencils. What is that?

MARC LAMONT HILL (Fox News contributor): Looks like he's going --

MacCALLUM: You can't really see the back tire, but in the other picture, the back tire actually looks like it's flat, which is not a great image either. And Anita, you mentioned, like, you know, is he with his family?

ANITA KAY (attorney): Right. I mean, maybe he's with his kids or maybe he's on the way to the gas station to get air in the tires.

MacCALLUM: Maybe he's trying to ride his --

KAY: That's a possibility.

MacCALLUM: -- bike instead of put gas in his car --

KAY: There you go.

MacCALLUM: -- which would be a good thing to do. But let's pull up the other pictures that Griff points out on his blog of John Kerry -- Senator John Kerry biking and also President Bush. What's the comparison you're making here, Griff?

JENKINS: Look, you got a manly mountain bike coming down the trails, a strong bike -- it fits him. You got Kerry, looks like he's doing the Ironman, very triathlete-looking. He is an athlete of course and rides bikes competitively I'm told, back in the day, and that's what the campaign was trying to do. And then they let Senator Obama be seen with jeans and sneakers, looks like Jerry Seinfeld.

MacCALLUM: I think you're being too hard on him.

KAY: No.

MacCALLUM: I think Barack Obama is so cool that it's almost good for him to look a little bit nerdy --

JENKINS: Do not --

MacCALLUM: -- 'cause he always looks so cool.

JENKINS: Don't say that. Listen, somebody on the Obama campaign -- I know it's tough to talk to your boss and you don't want to tell him these hard things because he's running for president --

MacCALLUM: I know.

JENKINS: -- but please do it. You gotta let him know.

—K.H.