The President may not have personally approved Jimmy Kimmel's shtick for the White House Correspondence Dinner beforehand, but he seemed to indicate approval by his positive reaction to even the raunchiest moments of the night.  

Kimmel's "video editing" bit was over the top and disgraceful to the office of the President.  Here, clips of politicians and commentators were edited to give the impression that the speakers were making reference to sodomy, and other "humorous" insinuations. Though I was never a zealous advocate of Governor Perry, he does not deserve to be defiled in this manner, nor do the other public servants who were likewise spoofed. 

Forget about the man, Barrack Obama, and let's consider the office.  As Schopenhauer pointed out, "Official honour demands...that the man who occupies an office must maintain respect for it, for the sake of both his colleagues and of those who will come after him."  So Mr. President, while you're keeping the seat warm in the Oval Office for Governor Romney, try to have a little respect.

Michelle Obama was the subject of some light ridicule.  Kimmel, ribbing the President on his gaunt appearance, speculated that Mrs. Obama must have him on a diet of "carrots and sticks."  Her default facial expression of bile and belligerence was contorted into what was apparently her "amused and having fun" expression, though she did not pass off this pretense of humble tolerance.  Ultimately, it was clear that Michelle does not brook this type of irreverence from any lowly civilian; and had she her druthers, would have sought swift punishment of this comedian for daring to make light of her profound accomplishments. 

Governor Christie, conversely, showed true magnanimity in his full-bodied laugh at Kimmel's suggestion that he had confused New Jersey as being the "Olive Garden State", as opposed to the "Garden State."  Perhaps real accomplishment, as opposed to a life of entitlement, gives one the self-confidence to let oneself be the subject of humor.

Obama needs to realize that many of us simply do not want to hear his revolting rendition of Al Green. That may be well and good for the privacy of his bedroom, but to me it seems like "too much information", so to speak.  He joked that in his next term, he would be singing Young Jeezy.  We do not want the name "Young Jeezy" to pass the President's lips.  Again, this is about respect for the office.  The Jimmy Fallon appearance, in which the President "slow jammed" the news, was similarly revolting. Here, Fallon makes reference to the "Prizzy of the United Stizzy."  Yes, let's embrace and perpetuate the most imbecilic element of teenage slang.  Very classy, Mr. President.

While it seems petty to pick apart each of these satirical forays, one cannot help but notice that the cumulative effect gives the impression of a President a little too enamored of very low-brow pop-culture, and not so cognizant of the weight of the office.  That alone is enough to motivate one to pull the figurative lever for Mr. Romney.

To be fair, Obama can be funny at times, and he does appear to have a self-deprecating sense of humor, frequently alluding to the public's disillusionment with his administration, light-heartedly.  Perhaps he leaves his more odious modes of self-expressions to his alter-ego, Eric Holder.  But Mr. Obama has gotten a little too cute trying to ingratiate himself to the most ignorant sector of the public for my tastes.

Malcolm Unwell is that rare bird, a conservative educator.  He can be reached at macareful@aol.com, while he attempts to recover his regular email from hijacking.