Tilting at windmills

Seriously, how out of touch is the administration when they throw a (most likely) non-binding kvetch at the Onion?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The White House is not amused by The Onion, a newspaper that often spoofs the Bush administration, and has asked it to stop using the presidential seal on its Web site.

The seal was still on the Web site www.theonion.com on Tuesday at the spot where President George W. Bush's weekly radio address is parodied.

With headlines like "Bush To Appoint Someone To Be In Charge Of Country" and "Bush Subconsciously Sizes Up Spain For Invasion," The Onion is popular with readers looking for a little laughter with their politics.

The next paragraph says it all:

White House spokesman Trent Duffy said people who work in the executive mansion do have a sense of humor, but not when it comes to breaking regulations.

I have to call bullshit on that one. If Mr. Duffy really had a sense of humor, he'd have the "Nation's Porn Stars Demand to be Fucked Harder" article clipped and on his fridge at home. Sadly, I think that Mr. Duffy's sense of humor probably falls more along the lines of "Y'know, those parody songs Rush plays with someone imitating Hillary's voice sure are a hoot! And that Mallard Fillmore is a stitch!"

"When any official sign or seal is being used inappropriately the party is notified," Duffy said.

"You cannot pick and choose where to enforce that rule. It's important that the seal or any White House insignia not be used inappropriately," he said.

Fair enough...I'd like to lodge a protest with the Republican Party for every time Bush appears behind a podium bearing said Presidential Seal or is photographed exiting Air Force One. The current President clearly brings shame to the Seal and doesn't live up to the relatively high standards put forth by, well, every other person to hold the office. By the same token, I'd like to see Tom DeLay turn in the "member of Congress" pin he wore in his mugshot...

While we're at it, maybe the White House shouldn't try to mess with a parody website. Check out the Onion's response:

Dear Mr. Dixon,

"I greatly appreciate your comments regarding my Weekly Radio Address parody. But I'm surprised the president deems it wise to spend taxpayer money for his lawyer to write letters to The Onion.

"If you have a lot of extra money lying around that you don't know what to do with, here are some better ideas for spending it:

"1. How about a tax break for satirists?

"2. With indictments in 'Plamegate' forthcoming, perhaps a nice going-away present for Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, Vice President Cheney, or whoever the president may be firing. I recommend a subscription to The Onion.

"3. It has recently become obvious that there is need for some sort of federal organization to administer the management of emergencies - a hypothetical 'Federal Emergency Management Administration,' if you will. You could spend the money on that.

"4. Harriet Miers could really use a scholarship to some kind of rudimentary judge school.

"In the event there's any extra money left over after all these projects, then perhaps the president could justify paying lawyers to protect him from comedians."