Opinion: An Obama Friday: PETA, TEA parties, a missing father and more

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Ah, Fridays....

Think the president wants a second opinion?

Barack Obama’s personal physician for the last 22 years has done a thorough examination of his patient’s healthcare reform plans and finds them, uh, dubious.

The 71-year-old Chicago internist David Scheiner, who vouched for the candidate’s excellent health in a public letter last year, now tells Forbes.com: “I’m not sure he really understands what we face in primary care.”

He’s got the reflexes of a 47-year-old

In case you missed the left-handed president’s quick right hand killing that fly during a recent TV interview, we’ll add the video down below.

Those policymakers in Iran and North Korea who think No. 44 is all talk and wouldn’t swat a fly may want to think twice.

Now, the caring folks over at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have called the president’s insecticidal move an “execution” and, as the L.A. Unleashed blog notes here, are sending him a humane insect trap so future flying White House pests can be set free outdoors to spread their germs there.

Newest member of the California delegation

As regular Ticket readers know, we’re all about touching human moments here. So in case you think there aren’t any among those clowns in Washington, we’re adding a C-SPAN video this morning of California Rep. Linda Sanchez introducing her infant son Joaquin to the House of Representatives this week.

He and she got a big round of applause from co-workers.

It’s only fair that the little guy get to witness this generation of elected officials spending his generation of voters’ taxes just a wee bit early.

Verbal fireworks planned for the Fourth

Speaking of birth days, July 4 is on a Saturday this year, which may mess up the traditional idea of a lazy three-day weekend for some.

But falling on an existing weekend is apparently helping plans for some more TEA parties around....

...the country. According to one organizing e-mail, the Boston TEA party is set for Boston Commons from 12 to 2 and Christopher Columbus Park from 3 to 6.

The tax and spending protests attracted much attention this spring, and have disappeared from media radar screens since. But via e-mail and Twitter, the plans move ahead. Looks like they’re tossing in opposition to universal health care to the topics now too.

A Letter from a Father

Janice Kaplan was working at her desk not long ago when she got a call from the White House. A gift for the editor of Parade magazine. Obama, who never really had much time with his absent father, wanted to write a Father’s Day story about being a father.

You might guess what the editor’s response was. The result, in this weekend’s newspapers (yes, there still are some), is Obama’s ode to his own two daughters and a warning to a generation of young men to take responsibility for the children they help create.

The president will be hosting an event at the White House this afternoon, talking to more young men about mentoring and fathering.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, after attending that event, Vice President Joe Biden has scheduled some more of those mysterious private meetings.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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