This was published originally this week as a long-lead feature piece in Wilder Voice, a publication at Oberlin College in Ohio. It is crossposted at Ich Bin Ein Oberliner. I know it's long, but I think it's worth it.

At a recent campaign stop in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama went bowling. He only played seven frames. He scored a 37. This abysmal score did not go unnoticed in the media. The major papers and news services--AP, Reuters, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post--and a host of minor ones all printed stories. The big television news networks--CNN, MSNBC, FOX--not to be left out, ran their own segments. It was a column after column, day after day, Obama bowl-a-thon.

I have watched from the sidelines as 50 diaries (or more) have flooded MyDD, either criticizing Sen. Obama, or defending him for his "bitter-gate" (note: this is SNARK) remarks.  I have watched while the elite liberal commentators have rused to his defense, while elite conservative commentators have criticized them as being elitist.  And so, I do regret adding yet another diary on the subject.  However, I also feel that some important points have been missed.