There’s something about serial hypocrisy that just doesn’t taste right.  This is particularly the case when what is being said is 1) mean spirited and 2) not something you’d say about your own Mama.  Personally, I come from the school that says you probably should steer clear of calling someone’s Mama something you wouldn’t want them to call yours.

Of course, the two  baffoons in question refer to the First Lady as having a large backside from their particularly grossly oversized rotundness.  My own gut (which is a bit paunchy) tells me that if both of these guys “practiced what Mrs. Obama preaches,” they might actually look like her–which is a good thing considering their own appearance.  This is the definition of jackassery.

But this is the current course of thinking that mascarades as useful: to use a mean spirit to criticize, not the argument, but the person.  Mrs. Obama has been tackling a serious issue in the country (obesity) through important measures in reforming lunch programs and exercise expectations.  She herself, particularly for her age and lifestyle, is in good shape.  These men cannot criticize her position, her motivation, or her goals.  So they make it personal.  Personal in a mocking, derogatory, and sexist way.  Referring to a woman as having a “big butt” is sexist, particularly when the person saying it is morbidly obese.

It is entirely possible that these jokers are attempting to belittle actual attempts at reforming programs that offer a healthier lifestyle because they think they cannot work–as if there is some inevitability to obesity by trying to rope the First Lady into their realm.  If this is the case, then they are even more craven and nihilistic than I would take them for.

I’m glad Rep. Sensenbrenner apologized, but this sort of behavior should be clear out of bounds, not just for Congress, but for public debate.