President Obama's Gray Hair or the Tanking Stock Market?

By Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers

The nation is at war, the economy is tanking, kids are failing school, and Congress is working hard to fix the ills of the nation. So you can imagine that there were some lawmakers today who thought it silly of the New York Times to devote Page 1 space to—drum roll, please—Barack Obama's graying temples.

Rep. Frank Wolf of suburban Virginia led the attack on the Gray Lady. During a hearing on science education, he asked: "Is there a New York Times reporter here?" Nobody answered.

Good thing, because Wolf was wound up. "The New York Times has a front-page story today on the fact that Barack Obama's hair is turning gray, and the chairman is having a great hearing with great witnesses and they have never even covered this," Republican Wolf barked. "Do we wonder why our factories are empty and we're in a period of decay on this issue? I think the media, quite frankly, whoever is with the New York Times, you just aren't doing your job."

Wolf, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, was hoping reporters would give some attention to the testimony of Harold Pratt, former president of the National Science Teachers Association, and Bill Nye, the Science Guy. Pratt and Nye addressed thorny topics such as the failure of No Child Left Behind in science education and the teaching of evolution, but that didn't stop them from having a little fun too.

Nye broke the ice. "Ranking member Wolf, let me say that you look fantastic with the hair color you have," the Science Guy told the congressman, whose hair is gray.

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