Would be for Cindy to pose for Playboy and leave McCain for Hef, moving into the Mansion and replacing Holly as Hef's #1 Girl Next Door.

There are at least 392 reasons why that whole episode was creepy. But what was particularly poignant for me was the fact that that moment was the only time I've seen Cindy McCain perk up during the entire campaign. "Look! They're applauding my looks! I exist!"

I think Cindy McCain is the sad, unseen story of this whole political ordeal. She's a throwback to a pre-Betty Friedan universe. She seems to do this move, every single time she introduces McCain at a speech: she hands him the microphone, her head down, and sort of skulks off stage. She's got that dead-eye look that suggests that she's given up. It's the face of despair behind the Stepford Wife mask. I'm starting to feel really, really sorry for her. I wish she'd find the inner resolve to dump that egomaniacal loser she's married to, get on her private jet, and fly away to someplace where she can have some fun and find herself.

Every time I hear the phrase, "tit for tat", I think of Dennis Miller's questions: What's tat, where can I get it, and how can I exchange it for the other?

Wouldn't that be Mrs. Buffalo Chip, as in a woman married to a piece of dried bovine dung?

I believe in the Domino Theory. If their earlobes fall to femininity, the rest will soon follow. I'm thinking of going nuclear? Got any weapons grade plutonium?

There's just one thing that worries me about you. You're a guy. And Broadsheet is the Sea of Estrogen. Hanging here is, well, girly. Whus up with that? Do you need some reprogramming?

Though it's more the mental aspect of acting like girls than the physical appearance that concerns me.

I read your post about boys acting like girls and I went to the local high school to see if you're right.

You are!

The boys were wearing necklaces and earrings and had highlighted their hair. Naturally, being a good American, I had to take a flame thrower to them. I'd give you the details, but the police are at my door. They probably want to give me a medal for keeping gender pure. Gotta go!

Your heroine,

Bigguns

And you don't think there are more sexist jokes in Judd Apatow movies?! Are you kidding me?! Try not to be so self-righteous.

But seriously, great job with the kids. They sound wonderful.

Do you have children? If not, you have no f@cking idea what you are talking about. Please define what you mean by "acting like girls when they are boys." Humans are complex. I have two teenage boys: they are jocks (younger son plays Lax - a pretty "macho" sport), they are band geeks, they are really good students, they are senstive, they have friends who are girls, they have friends who are boys, they enjoy Jud Apatow movies and Harold and Kumar(but so do Ibut they also enjoy Bend It Like Beckham and Pride and Prejudice, they use "dude" a lot, etc., etc. Before you post again, make sure you know what the f@ck you are talking about.

called Tit (republican, I think) and the other called Tat (a vehement Obama supporter). Chairs were knocked over, hair was pulled, wigs were up-ended when the judge announced in a grave voice "After hours of rumination, and I must emphasise that I'm a Constitutional lawyer, there's no Tit for Tat. This whole episode has been very tatty indeed and I want to issue a strong warning to the media about reporting these tittilating events." With that warning ringing in their ears, reporters. columnists and every scribbler in the land decided to call it a day and resisted the temptation to tell an ever-eager public that the judge was seen shortly afterwards having a drink with someone described as a bosom-buddy. Was it Tit or Tat? To this day, nobody can be absolutely sure.

Even though she went along with her husband's joke (I supposed he checked with her first -- 'is it OK with you honey if I say this?'), I don't feel as if I knew what her feelings were. I wished she'd say something about it.

Was his joke sexist? If the implied context is, Cindy is only as good as her looks, yes; if no, no. If the implied context is: I know what this 'pageant' is about and I support it, then yes; if it isn't (and I'd still want to hear from McCain if he did or did not know), then no, it isn't sexist.

Was it worse than Obama's "sweetie"? Yes, certainly. Much worse, especially given our "prudish" 21st-century society. I'd never had done that if I were McCain; the "I'm Just Like Your Beer-Drinking Buddies" effect would be canceled out by the "He's A Stupid Beer-Drinking Old Guy" effect for other audiences -- and he should have known this comment would be all over the blogosfere as soon as he made it.

Was there some implicit racism -- i.e. Obama was more criticized for his "sweetie" than McCain for his "my hot wife" because Obama is black and McCain white? This sounds very likely. I do point out, though, that people -- even Democrats -- tend to go harder on Democratic candidates' deviations from political correctness. That may also have played a role.

Was his comment "offensive to women"? Again, if he thinks -- or the context implies -- that Cindy is only as good as her looks, then yes. And, given his precedent behavior -- "c" word and "trollop", etc. -- there's a good chance that this context is indeed right -- in which case I have no problems saying he was offensive to women. But I hasten to add that I don't think women are automatically offended or objectified by taking part in topless competitions.

Should McCain be more dignified because he wants to be POTUS? Maybe. But he'll only get to be POTUS if he convinces the voters to vote for him. As you've all pointed out, the joke was meant to win him votes. Just like Obama's shift to the center, about which liberals express strong reservations.

To Michael in Vegas: I also tend to feel angry at jokes about women, but probably less than you. Some jokes about women (or men) are not sexist; they're just funny. And some jokes about women (or men) are indeed much more sexist than they're funny; these irk me. (What's hard is that there's a fair number somewhere in the middle; and these tell me more about the strangeness of humor than about sexism.)