Political satire has become just another part of the job description for presidents over the past 30 years, and it has actually existed long before the invention of television and radio media.
Presidents and other politicians have had to deal with everything from political cartoons in newspapers to current comedy television shows like The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live.
Most politicians have a decent sense of humor and can handle being the butt of a joke now and then. Then again, other politicians don't have much of a sense of humor and can't see past their own egos to make light of errant situations.
The White House has recently fallen into the latter category as officials are targeting the popular satirical newspaper The Onion for using the White House seal on its Web site. The Onion is well known for having provided satire on many levels, from politics to sports to pop culture, and has existed for many years.
White House representative Trent Duffy is claiming that his colleagues do possess a sense of humor and enjoy a good joke here or there, but The Onion is altogether violating the purpose of the seal.
The Onion uses the seal on its Web site next to a link for President George W. Bush's weekly radio address, which is also parodied on the site.
Duffy said that the seal is not intended for misuse and what The Onion's staff is doing with it is simply wrong because "it is important that the seal or any White House insignia not be used inappropriately."
The Onion's editors are obviously confused as to why this sudden attack is taking place. Pointing out The Onion for misusing the White House seal is like picking on the smallest kid in a game of dodgeball.
It's ridiculous to think that, out of all of the political satire outlets in today's media, The Onion is doing more damage than any of the others.
Saturday Night Live has been using the White House seal in the show's opening sketches since it first premiered in 1975. From Chevy Chase's Gerald Ford impersonation to Will Ferrell's cartoon-like portrayal of Bush, no president has ever been safe from SNL's political punchlines and almost every single sketch has involved a White House press conference scenario.
SNL is especially no different than The Daily Show when it comes to political satire, and The Daily Show even goes above and beyond SNL's jabs at the White House by devoting almost entire episodes to mocking politicians. On any given night, The Daily Show almost certainly uses either graphics or footage involving the White House seal and never in a serious manner.
There's no reason that The Onion is any different than the aforementioned television shows. It doesn't make any difference that SNL and The Daily Show are on television and the Onion is merely limited to print and the Internet.
The Onion provides the same sense of humor as any other satirical outlet and shouldn't be treated any differently than any of the others.
The only difference between the television fake media and The Onion is that the big boys have the resources to get politicians involved in the mix.
Whereas The Daily Show or SNL carry enough weight with the public to convince John Kerry or John McCain to host or guest star on the show, The Onion is left to make up sources and quotes in an obviously tongue-in-cheek fashion.
If anything, The Onion is simply a thorn in the side of a few White House officials, who are obviously nothing more than bored. Then again, The Onion probably appreciates the attention and might not mind it picking up a little more.
The White House's anger with something so trivial only adds fuel to The Onion's fire.
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