Stephen Colbert, Jeff Goldblum join PETA in condemning Obama's fly swat

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When President Obama killed a pesky flyduring an interview with CNBC's John Harwood, we doubt the leader of the free world expected it to become the focus of scrutiny approaching the intensity that once surrounded his Hawaiian birth certificate.

Obama's reflexes proved lightning-fast as he swatted the insect ("It's like he's got one of those fly Terminator targeting systems in his eyes," Jon Stewart noted), and as CNBC's camera panned to the dead fly on the floor, the president said, "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the sucker."

Many gossipers -- notably TMZ -- reported that PETA had condemned Obama's action.  (For our part, we found the animal rights group's initial response notable only for its uncharacteristic subtlety.  "He isn't the Buddha, he's a human being, and human beings have a long way to go before they think before they act," PETA blogger Alisa Mullins wrote.  Of course, PETA didn't miss an opportunity to send Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that uses a trapdoor to capture insects without killing them.)

As the story escalated, PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich waded into the fray, escalating the rhetoric by referring to the incident as an "execution."  Friedrich told Reuters that PETA members "believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals." [Correction: Friedrich notes that the reference to an "execution" was not his own, but rather was written by another PETA staffer on the blog The PETA Files.  He told Unleashed in an email that the "execution" comment "was typed in jest, as I think is clear in context."]

Now even faux-conservative funnyman Stephen Colbert has gotten in on the act, recording a special "Colbert Report" segment in which he bemoans Obama's "shocking abuse of executive power" in killing the fly.  Even The Flyhimself, Jeff Goldblum, joins in, calling on the president to "apologize for this brutal act of violence" and suggesting that he could also apologize to Gov. Sarah Palin on David Letterman's behalf while he's at it.  "There can never be enough apologies," he quips.

The ever-pithy Jezebel blog, noting that another fly was spotted during an interview on one of former Vice President Dick Cheney's final days in office, is suspicious about the fly that dogged Obama. 

"Clearly the initial flies were emitted by Dick Cheney himself and are now breeding an army of tiny minions to undermine Obama," Jezebel staffer Anna North writes.  "Cheney-flies, unfortunately, fear neither cleanliness nor vodka, but they may give up their secrets if waterboarded."

-- Lindsay Barnett

Video: ColbertNation.com

Comments

[Nelson Roth]

While not an avid fan of PETA I do receive their e-mail newsletter. I tend to believe that every point of view or perspective can be valuable to consider. If for no other reason, the exposure can be informative.

After this "fly debacle" I will be canceling the newsletter. Their stand on this issue demonstrates a grotesque lack of awareness and balance. Considering this issue I just have to wonder when we'll hear their outcry about the approximately 1.5 million abortions a year. As Shakespeare said, "Let me count the ways, ... " If he were alive today I feel confident his answer would be, "Nada!"

My advice to PETA, formally, and its members, personally, "Get it together!"

[Selene]

Look, seriously, it's a damn fly. No big deal. Everyone is just satirizing something that isn't even a big deal!

[Charlie]

I think PETA and all the reporters who wrote about this story should find something better to do with their time than worrying about our president killing an insect on national TV...If all of you would put your time and effort into something more constructive, then we might not be in the recession we are in....lol

[jack basso]

This must be one of the most absurd observations in the history of mankind; we spend time over the President killing a fly; spare me oh Lord.

[Kevin L]

I'm sorry, but that Jezebel joke was neither witty nor even humorous.

[Patricia]

What makes a fly more deserving of mercy than a carrot?

Does a carrot WANT to ripped from the ground?

No -- I think root vegetables prefer to stay rooted in the earth. That's how they're designed. That's how they're built to function.

Let's call carrots "root kittens" and see how long PETA members are able to keep justifying their slavery and murder.

Anyone want a recipe for glazed root kittens with mint?

[Carole Clarke]

PETA has done the unthinkable now - a serious animal-rights organization has made itself look absolutely ridiculous! That can be fatal. House flies are not on any endangered species list and are known to carry disease. You can safely lump them in with the cockroaches you see scurrying around when you flick on the lights in your kitchen or bathroom. PETA needs to take off its pink tutu and get back into its workboots.

[CS]

Can't wait for Rush and Hannity to tackle this one. They'll probably have him sticking his tongue out to catch the fly.

[Mike]

Are the PETA people so ignorant that they don't know that flies are insects, not animals? If they want to protect the rights of insects, they should form a sub-group called PETI (with the acronym pronounced "petty").

[fffffffffffffffffff]

Maybe you should've included that Colbert is satire and both he and Goldblum were obviously joking...

[Joe]

If you think Stephen Colbert and Jeff Goldblum were serious about this then there's a larger problem than Obama swatting a fly...

[shannon]

People kill flys everyday are they being outcast

[Doda]

Come on now, this is just way too extreme.....there are bigger issues to be addressed these days

[Jennifer]

"Are the PETA people so ignorant that they don't know that flies are insects, not animals? If they want to protect the rights of insects, they should form a sub-group called PETI (with the acronym pronounced "petty").

Posted by: Mike | June 20, 2009 at 05:07 PM"

Insects are animals.

Regardless, PETA is a ridiculous organization that gives all animal welfare agencies a bad name. Ugh!

[Linda]

Out of all the people who are making a big deal about this fly incident, I wonder how many of them are pro-life when it comes to unborn human children. Or do they feel a fly's life is more valuable than the life of a defenseless and innocent human child?

Just sayin'!

[Uli Pele]

It was a FLY! Are we suppoed to catch and release mosquitos too?

PETA you are a bunch of rabid, extremist freaks, and you set animal rights back, not forward, when you release stupid statements like this.

[Anon]

Just another in the long list of things that make PETA crazy and utterly undeserving of anyone's attention.

[dchojnacki]

why should stephen colbert get away with terrorizing a dog on his show by pointing a gun at him and screanming the dog was clearly frightened colbert is a moron

[tiffany]

Obama is an awful person. He supports stem-cell research and abortion. It seems to me that Obama cares not about who lives or dies. whether it be our soldiers in Iraq, our unborn children, or even the smallest fly.

[Fiyerokai]

Interesting... it's a national scandal when the President kills a fly on TV, but when another president kills thousands of people with a war that is pointless is there this much of an immediate out cry? NOPE.

Sheesh, sometimes the freedom of speech is really misused.