PrintFebruary 22, 2010
Taking Rosen's Joke Too Seriously
When involved in a desperate struggle, as conservatives now are, it is important to keep one's sense of humor. This is especially difficult if our opponent is as pompously humorless as our current POTUS. But it is a necessity if we are to keep our sanity and balance.
I think we have all failed to see that Jeffrey Rosen's suggestion that Obama be made a Supreme Court justice was intended as a sly joke. Read the article slowly and carefully, noting the allusions to Sarah Palin, the fates of unsuccessful presidents, the judicial ambiguity of his opinions, and a justice's tenure and long vacations, and I think you will conclude that Rosen's tongue is firmly in his cheek and that we have been taken in by a deft satirist.
The portrait illustrating the article is, I think, in the same spirit. It is not an accident that its solemn serenity reminds one of a religious icon or a picture of the Buddha
Certainly, the readers of the Washington Post were not fooled. When polled as to what career Barack Obama "is best suited for", the results, printed on the same page as the article, were as follows:
So let's loosen up a bit and keep our sense of humor. Even if (as I doubt) Rosen didn't intend a joke, he certainly made one.
