During an interview the young agile president smacks a fly that is distracting the conversation. The film crew films the event including a close up of the dead fly, the president acts a bit ‘tongue in cheek’ macho.

Barbara Boxer insists that a general testifying before Congress call her Senator instead of ma’am. Yes she did sound a bit bitchy and she could have easily let it pass, but she probably resents that the men in the Senate are called Senator but the women are called ma’am. She has a legitimate point, but it is debatable if it was worth making.

David Letterman makes a bad joke in reference to one Palin’s daughters and the Twittersphere is ablaze in indignation.

But the conservative Twitterers dwell on these issues and other such episodes proliferated on YouTube, and in my opinion it distracts from the greater issues and makes the cause seem petty. There are so many major political differences that are so dramatic that it just seems a waste of political capital to attack every insinuation and act as indicative of major character flaws worthy of public denunciation.

The internet, blog and Twitter world has some well written analysis and essays that are shared through this new social network. Thousandsof Twitterers act like special editors finding and sharing excellent material. Well written pieces can have a great impact.

But harping on missteps and faux pas is just swatting at flies.

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