The Politics of Cleavage

This has been nagging at me for awhile now. Suddenly it has surfaced in television talk. First, on MSNBC’s Scarborough Country featuring former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough, and his conversation with Cliff Crawford over soon-to-be presidential candidate Fred Thompson’s trophy wife:

SCARBOROUGH: Have you seen Fred Thompson’s wife?
CRAWFORD: Oh, yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: You think she thinks she works the pole?
CRAWFORD: That’s what a Hollywood career will do for you, I guess.
SCARBOROUGH: What do you mean?
CRAWFORD: You get wives like that.
SCARBOROUGH: I mean, look at that guy. God bless him, I love his voice. But I mean, you know. He ain’t Robert Redford in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
CRAWFORD: Well I would like to see him back into politics because I think he’s a lousy actor.

I have not heard a word on whether MSNBC has been deluged with complaints over Scarborough's misogynistic remarks. Perhaps he had to use the word “Ho” for the phones to start ringing.

Then this morning I was listening to a CNN commentary on the same person, but this time in finer detail. A New England newspaper journalist, didn’t get her name, was remarking that this is a first in presidential politics, to have a potential first lady show so much cleavage.

Thinking back, I have to agree. This is a first in presidential politics. Am I greatly offended over such overt display of hooters? Not on your life.

But if I was told that the first presidential candidate’s spouse to display so much cleavage would be from the party of the Dark Side, I would have laughed in disbelief. Republicans? Stiff, stodgy, Puritan Republicans? You’ve got to be kidding!

But it all makes sense now. Witness people’s exhibit number 2, with self same Geri Thompson and Paul Wolfowitz at a function. Follow aptly surnamed Paul Wolfowitz’s line of sight.