McCain Campaign Responds to the Great Seal of Obama

The reviews are pretty bad for Barack Obama's attempt to create a presidential seal of his own:

Featuring an eagle clutching arrows and an olive branch, the seal contained a Latin phrase for a touch of gravitas that roughly translates to "Yes, We Can."

Asked to explain the new seal, Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, "It's a mix of presidential politics and a call for hope and change."

Snarked John McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds, "I think we can all agree that we need presidential candidates that are serious enough not to play make-believe on the campaign trail."

"It's laughable, ridiculous, preposterous and revealing all at the same time," Bounds said.

Even people posting at the official Obama website were not impressed. Little Green Footballs collected these postings:

Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In Matte Black News: That seal should be buried and called a joke

The ridicule is just rolling in. What were they thinking? Who is driving this bus?
http://blogs.wsj.com...

Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In Sharon Spooner’s Blog: On FISA and ‘seals’

First, that “seal” on display during the Democratic governors’ meeting was pretty lame. Sen. Obama, you know we love you and we’re willing to donate, volunteer and make phone calls on your behalf. But you haven’t been elected president yet, so don’t start acting like it with something that looks like a quasi-presidential seal. (Don’t forget that you’ve still got to get rid of the “elitist” label with some voters.) I’m still hoping that it was a one-time joke. And the “Yes We Can” in Latin reminded me of Hogwarts.

I like that Hogwarts line. Advice to future presidential candidates: Don't choose Latin phrases with the word "Possum" in it.

UPDATE: Newsmax adds this:

The Latin phrase "E Pluribus Unum," which translates to "Out of many, one," now says "Vero Possumus." Press reports translate the Latin words as "Truly, we are able" - a rough translation of the Obama campaign slogan, "Yes we can."

The deletion of "E Pluribus Unum," long considered the de-facto motto of the United States, is not accidental for multiculturalists, who have long denigrated the concept that immigrants must strip away their old culture in favor of the "oneness" of American civilization. In the 1990s, such activists promoted the alternative concept of the nation's ethnic "mosaic" - rather than a single, overarching metaphor to describe American society. For example, Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan has pointedly criticized the "E Pluribus Unum" motto as not reflecting the nation's diversity.

Other Obama changes to the seal include the removal of the shield over the eagle's breast, representing the president's oath to defend the Constitution. The shield has been replaced with the letter "O" - presumably for Obama - and the image of a rising sun.

I'm not sure I buy all of that, but it's an interesting observation.

UPDATE: Marc Ambinder reports that the seal is history after being roundly mocked.