The Finger of Truth

President Obama recently had an intense encounter with Gov. Jan Brewer over characterizations of their prior meetings in her new book Scorpions for Breakfast.  During their exchange, Governor Brewer was seen gesturing with her index finger while responding to the Chief Executive’s harangue.

Most editorial cartoons reflected their liberal lamestream media roots and depicted the Arizona Governor either as a crazed crone or a witch with “agua” on the ready for her meltdown.  Of course this is a double standard as campaign ads in the 2010 cycle that depicted then Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA 8th) as the Wicked Witch of the West by Republican opponent John Dennis was universally decried as being the pale. But politics is not beanbag and events can be interpreted through rose colored partisan glasses.

But some old school progressive agiprop artists want to push those liberal boundries of politicking. Jessie Jackson offered a desultory diatribe during a PUSH forum broadcast on the Word Network.  The Reverend Jackson ejaculated:

Also, while it’s on my mind, Gov. Janice K. Brewer, the finger person.  Gov. Janice K. Brewer, who gave President Obama the finger, governor of Arizona, call 1 800 253 0883.  Keep that line real busy.  1 800 253 0883.  We’ll give you the number later a little later today and this week on the email number of her press secretary.  We want to keep Arizona. . . until she can put her hands in her pocket and have some good. . . do you know how insulting it is to put your finger in somebody’s face?  Try it with the cameras rolling, she knew the cameras.

She knew what she was doing.  She was telling him off.  She was cutting him down to his size.  She must never get away with that.  Even George Wallace did not put his finger in Dr. King’s face.  Say, enough is enough.

Obviously, Jesse Jackson wishes to ingratiate with his Chicago comrade in the Oval Office, especially after the Reverend’s cutting off mike comment in 2008.  It is loathsome that Jackson is hustling a racial angle with his framing of the Brewer v. Obama match-up.  But it is just plain dishonest for Jackson to insinuate that Brewer gave the President the “Lone Eagle Salute”.  Watch the dust up in the desert video, as it is an impassioned index finger which may have crowded Obama’s space but was no disrespect to the office of the Presidency.

It is worth noting that Barack Obama has a habit of coyly slipping his opponent “the Finger” while out on the campaign hustings.   Recall how he treated his then 2008 Democrat opponent (and now Secretary of State) Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

Later during the general election campaign, candidate Obama seemed to return to the gesture when “honoring” his opponent Republican Senator John McCain (R-AZ).

Giving the finger is not simply a crude sexual insinuation.  The long finger salute is also an aggressive battlefield gesture.  Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French threatened to cut off the middle finger of any Englishmen captured.  This was meant to thwart the English advantage, as without a middle finger plucking the yew their skilled longbow archers would be rendered moot.  Well, the English won an upset victory over the continentals.  So as a taunt to the French forces, English soldiers held up their middle finger so as to say "See, we can still pluck yew! PLUCK YEW!".  In time, the difficult consonant cluster devolved to what a cunning linguist would call a labiodental fricture which makes modern interlocutors think of For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.

What is actually the finger of truth for Obama-ites? Is Mr. Obama just is an itchy individual from his thin skin? Or maybe his middle school civic education missed lessons on civility?  What is more likely is that rules for mere mortals do not apply for chosen ones and Obama 2012 surrogates mirror their own crude political instincts. 

h/t DaveGranlund.com

h/t: Mike Bates