I got the photo this morning from one of the progressive listservs that I subscribe to, complete with the snarky subject line "ready to lead from day one." Because obviously any woman who wears a bikini is unqualified for leadership. A little searching confirmed that it's just what it looks like - an amateurish fake based on someone's pool party Flickr photo. Which isn't stopping pro-Obama bloggers from displaying some absolutely exquisite hypocrisy:

If you look very closely you can see a link to a post titled "McCain's ugly jokes AGAINST women." This screencap is from "The Bruce Blog," where the lead blogger is a self-described "yogi, a satirist, and militant." I don't think he's affiliated with the Obama campaign as much as he just really, really hearts it. He's got "Republicans for Obama", "Muslims for Obama", "Jews for Obama", and "Christians for Obama" widgets posted - so you can tell that he's also really, really into unity. Unless you're a woman who shamelessly wears bikinis and bitterly clings to guns. Then you're excluded on the basis of your gender, your social position, and your economic circumstances. Bummer.

Other leftist sites with nudge-wink debates over whether this is legitimate proof that Palin is just too female to be VP or whether it's merely fake but accurate proof: here and here and - surprise - here. Plus of course the flurry of emails humming their way through all the progressive corners of the internet. Begging the immediate question: how long...?

References:
* Sarah Palin in a Bikini! [Babble.com ]
* Malkin Derangement Syndrome [Malkin]

Previously:
* New Leftist Meme: Palin "Solved Jewish Problem" That Obama Never Really Had (Plus: Anti-Palin "Buchanan Endorsement" Meme Also A Lie)
* Turns Out, The Devout Republican Evangelical Governor Of Alaska Has A Soft Spot For Israel
* Obama Isn't Anti-Israel Because... Umm... Err... Because He Just Isn't OK?