As if Obama didn’t have enough to worry about trying to move along debt talks in a fiercely divided legislature, he’s now embroiled in a controversy with the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council. (Did you know such a group existed? We didn’t.) It seems the president inadvertently offended the UDPLC yesterday when he implored Republicans to accept tax increases and thereby “eat our peas.” However, the council is attempting to spin the remark positively; its marketing director asserted that “We take President Obama’s comment on the need to ‘eat our peas’ as a reference to the first lady’s push to get all Americans to eat a more healthy diet … ” Not to miss an opportunity, he added: “Eating more lentils couldn’t hurt, either.” Come on, pea council, it’s widely known that Obama hates beets, and you don’t see interest groups bellyaching about that. Can’t you just accept that kids everywhere — not to mention quite a few adults — hate peas, and carry on?
’Eat our peas’: Pea growers react to Obama remark [Politics Now/LAT]
O to GOP: pass the ‘peas’ [NYP]
