President Obama narrowly escapes attack by rat or something

First, there were the gate-crashing Salahis who got by the crack White House protocol and security forces.

Now, there's the rat. Or vole. Or some kind of rodent, who crashed a Thursday White House event in the Rose Garden.

Prof. Obama was droning on about the joyous Senate passage of his latest galactic reform scheme, this one to straighten out the shady ways of the nefarious Wall Street money people who financed so much of his $750 million campaign war-chest in 2007-08.

Suddenly, the attacker burst out of the bushes from, wouldn't you know, Obama's right side.

As the thunder of countless clicking cameras competed with the oblivious president, the dubiously dangerous, if terrified creature abandoned his assault. And before anyone could recite his Miranda rights, scurried into the enfolding safety and security of nearby government bushes on the liberal Democrat's left.

No shots were fired. Is that creature now FROTUS?

The abortive assault on the ex-state senator recalled a 1979 tale recounted by another Democrat, President Jimmy Carter, who described being attacked by an amphibious swamp rabbit while fishing in a boat. No shots fired then either.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press; Hat Tip: Robert Dean

Comments

[penny auctions]

Hi,
Looks like a close encounter, at first i thought it was a rat, but now i think its a large snail. Anyhow, Good to see everyone's ok.

(AM responds: LOL! :--)) )

[Steve]

The writer tried soooo hard to make this a really funny piece, throwing in lots of analogies to politics. It didn't work. Sometimes it's better to just let the photo speak for itself. And forego false headlines.

[A.Levine]

LOOKS LIKE THE FAMILY NEEDS A PET CAT.

[Don]

Those liberals sure stick together! Nancy can't be far behind!

[John]

I guess Andrew would have us believe that financial reform is unnecessary and Wall Street should continue to function as it has for decades. Way to insert those negative editorial comments in an otherwise neutral event! BTW Mr. Malcolm, you'd better investigate how much of his "war chest" was financed by everyday "Joes" who donated small amounts of money NOT by Wall Street. Before you make ugly comments like that, research the facts or shut your trap.

[Interested Observer]

Why would The Times permit such a disrespectful reference to the President of the United States to be published in its webspace: "Prof. Obama was droning on." Is no one editing the texts? Or is The Times hoping to lure the Fox News audience?

[MLBR]

Anybody who lives in the MidAtlantic area knows - it's a STINKBUG! They're EVERYWHERE! They fall into your food, the defecate on your lampshades, they smell baaaaaad if you crush them and if you flush them, they just resurface. They're EVERYWHERE!!!!!

[Angela Thornton-Canny]

No doubt there to demand his fair share of government cheese.

[Elmer]

The little animal that scurried across the step in front of Obama was not a rat, was not a mouse, was not a mole. It was not a rodent.

The little animal that scurried across in front of Obama was a North American Short-tailed Shrew.

You can see a photo here: http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/inhsreports/jan-feb99/shrew.html

Diet: Shrew are carnivores (meat-eaters). They need to eat their own weight in food every day! These ferocious mammals will attack and kill animals that are bigger than they are. They eat insects, worms, snails, slugs, and other small animals (including other shrews). Several species of shrews (including the Short-tailed shrew) are venomous and have a poisonous bite.

.

[Ron Larson]

Looks like a gopher to me.

Or a republican :-)

[Los Lakers]

Tea Partyer crashes white house news conference

[Furry]

Well it certainly wasn't ROUS.

[Clay Landon]

Why was penny auctions comment so funny? I like to think that by reading your posts, I'm up to date on right-wing talking points but if what penny said was humorous, it must be at the expense of Obama.

Andrew? Care to explain? Thanks in advance!

(AM responds: Because it made my laugh.)

[george]

might be another invader from mexico

[Angela Thornton-Canny]

On closer look, I'm not convinced it isn't actually Henry Waxman.

[john]

Another illegal from Mexico!!!

[Jack]

The animal is too large to be a shrew, Angela. The tubular body shape and short tail is quite characteristics of voles, probably in the genus /Microtus/. Voles are quite friendly creatures, one of the cutest rodents, in my opinion.

[Tag Urit]

Surprised no one has booked the little fellow yet for an appearance on a Fox News show. Might be one of their more intelligent guests.

[robert decarlo]

Well Andrew, I feel we are on a first name bases. Your blatant sarcasms and lack of professionalism to refer to the President of the United States, as Prof. Your obvious biases is evident and so is your lack of context. Of this level of reform. We now have a President that is at least attempting to, right the wrongs, be it not your cup of tea, right Andrew. We suffered these last eight years with a puppet to big oil and everything else but WE THE PEOPLE. We the People deserve at least a working president be it a Professor. Also at least he was able to teach others the last one couldn’t.

“Prof. Obama was droning on about the joyous Senate passage”

Disgusted

[gary thompson]

That's a Vole, or otherwise known as a field mouse.
A rat wouldn't surprise me however, Washington is full of them, both the 2 and 4 legged varities.

[Tony Pius]

What, no room for a teleprompter joke?

[steve]

The rat escaped from the right side to flee to the LEFT, where most rats dwell.

[Jim Josco]

Tis an omen methinks -- the Wall Street reform act is full of RATS!

[Gerhard]

Rats are always the first to leave a sinking ship.

[Nick in Virginia]

I think this is just a case of cosmic irony.

After 0bama made the Dali Lama leave the White House through all the trash bags, this rodent comes up to 0bama.

But maybe Angela was right, it DID look a lot like Waxman.

[D Jackson]

Now THAT was funny as hell.

[Ed]

Looks like Waxman's moustache

[Sonny]

Dam got rats and roaches at the white house now? sounds like the next guy gonna have to fumigate that place

[JohnRJ08]

Slow news day?

I don't think it was a rat or a snail. It was obviously Mitch McConnell trying to derail the press conference.

[Jim Kearney NYC]

Calling Dr. Jung, Calling Dr. Jung, there is a archetype AND a syncronicity running across the Rose Garden.
Just as in comedy AND dying, timing is everything.

[The Bell]

That's a Wall Street mole out looking for a Tea Party to keep things irrelevant.

[Mike]

I'm not sure what the small gray thing is but there definitely a rat behind the podium.

[Hammer]

I love how one writer at the Times -- who is writing on a blog and has full liberty to write his opinion -- says that Obama was droning on, and the Obama zombies come out in force to protect ``the leader.'' These are the same people who laughed uproariously at slams on GW Bush. But of course, that's OK, because it's perfectly fine for people to hate the right, but if somebody takes a shot at the left -- a tiny, subtle shot -- panties start to get in bunches.

[Brett]

I swear, Villaraigosa tries to get into every photo imaginable.

[Jeanene]

I believe it is President Obama and not Prof. Obama.

[Hope N. Change]

Birds of a feather

[C Green]

Wow, you guys are waaay too serious! I thought the article was cute; those of you who have your undies in such a bunch should lighten up a bit. Sure it was a bit biased to the right, but (do try to keep up here) the entire LA Times is quite biased to the left, as is their ever shrinking pool of readers. If the left was a bit less shrill, more Americans would gravitate toward them, but that is unlikely at best.

[W.D. Grissom]

Dang! When I saw the headline I thought it was Beck or Limbaugh or one of those guys.

[Jinx]

Blah blah political pun. Blah blah jab at red or blue. Blah blah its this no that. T_T Steve is right. This article was no more creative than any other political drivel. Its like trying to shock the masses with whichever public figure is cheating on their spouse. Its just boring midlife crisis gossip. And we still wonder why American youth is uninterested in government and politics.

[Elmer]

I don't know how we all missed that one Mike.

Your answer is the most obvious and correct statement of the day.

Gotta right that one down..... "... there is definitely a rat behind the podium."

There. Ggot it.

Thanks!

[YA]

Isn't that one of Obama's czars?

[Mary]

Now we can call Obama and his thugs
The Rat Pack!

[Mary]

It ran because it didn't have any Papers!

[DK Fennell]

Tres droll. Yes, I can see how a rodent (or actually an insectivore, but who cares, right?) that the media is claiming attacked Obama is just like a lagamorph that Carter claimed attacked him. Or maybe it's not at all alike. What's the difference? There's no such thing as journalism anymore anyway. At least Andrew Malcolm is ok. He probably gets paid by the word, whether it's funny or not.

[mein kapitan]

They called an exterminator, but then cancelled...it would make Biden president!

[Risa C. Laser]

it could have been your typical pet mouse.. nothing to fear just like Afghanistan. if it was an opposing party then look at below.

Risa