Tape of the Tail

I'm better than this. I'm better than this, right? Sigh. Who am I kidding? I'm not better than this. 

So a photo has been making the rounds appearing to show President Obama, along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, checking out the posterior of a young woman at the G8 summit. After the photo graced the cover of Drudge, sped around the web and made it into print, ABC News' Chris Cuomo took it on himself to analyze the full video of the event to determine whether or not POTUS was sneaking a look. 

The verdict? Cuomo says the tape appears to exonerate the President. My professional opinion as a TV critic? He clearly wasn't obviously leering; he apparently was watching his footing on the steps. Although—speaking as a man who knows how these things work—I can neither prove that Obama was not at least peeking. (After a couple of viewings, I certainly was.)

Who is to say! I can only make a seat-of-the-pants judgment. Ultimately, this will be one of those partisan debates in which where you stand on the issue will depend on where you sit. Deep-seated loyalties will factor in. It's likely to incite each party's base, as they pursue the matter to its end, rump factions dissent, and opportunists seek to reap political booty. But do let me know if you think I'm talking out of my, um, sleeve.