Come to think of it, Obama’s call for National Action toward proper tire inflation, mind you a direct answer to a direct question which was merely tangeantly about Government Energy Policy — “What Can, as a mere everyday citizen do?” — recalls not only Jimmy Carter’s “Wear a Sweater” statement but also George W Bush’s “Shop!”

That line let me know in the post 9/11, more specifically post – Bullhorn, 90 percent approval rating America that the President was still a Douchebag.

There is a whole genre of these “practical advice from major Political figures for practical situations under over-arching problems” statments.  And there’s a fine line between statements which are out of touch and suggestive of no further policy or callousness toward the plight of the Average American on one hand and measures which acknowledge no quick fix with fungible returns somewhat out of the purview of anyone’s hands.

One sign that the political potency against Obama’s tire appeal has deflated is shown with this random Rush Limabugh fan’s American Prospect Comment.  It’s a partisan blind insistence that if the ridicule about McCain’s turn-around dissipates when you take his whole comments in better context.  This is a Partisan tendency which everyone needs to check with a level of self-awareness.  What comes immediately to mind was some wrangling about a bit of Southern accent affectation which Hillary Clinton took on in a campaign swing, and seemingly everyone’s insistence that if you pull out further you’d see that this did not show a level of pandering and was Drudge-fueled nonsense.  It was somewhat silly, but what I saw when I took that contextual look was pretty much the same thing I saw when snipped right at the quote.  And, her image remained such that Obama gained in that Primary Contest, which last I checked he won.

Come to think of it, the most sinister example of this genre of “practical advice” for “what Average American can do” came with an explnation for what one ought to do with Orange Alert.  Visqueen and Duct Tape.  That may be a variant with subtle altered perimeters, though.

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