White House Declares War on Satire

Just when you thought the Dubya administration couldn't get any sillier, in the midst of rumors of indictments against senior White House staff, a string of poorly-handled natural disasters, and the 2000th US death in Iraq, where does the administration aim its firepower? The Onion. That's right, the paragon of satiric virtue is in trouble with the White House for using the Presidential seal for comedic purposes. A White House spokesman, who assures us that folks there do have a sense of humor, comments, "[i]t's important that the seal or any White House insignia not be used inappropriately." Gee, I can't think that the Government telling a satirical newspaper that its use of a seal was "inappropriate" would run afoul of the First Amendment, would you?

Of course, to be fair, the site in question (thanks to a friend for the link) does look to be part of the actual White House site (lots of links go there), but the disclaimer that "This web site is not intended for viewers under voting age" should be a good indication that something is up. Unless Dubya cusses like a sailor during his radio addresses (or Cheney does it for him).

If the War on Terra is any indication, I don't think The Onion has anything to worry about from this attack.