Vander Bites

Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama sent the political word reeling this morning after it was reported that the two men hugged following their joint tribute to those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The news was first published on the previously-unkown polictical blog Eetdeeznutz.com.

“Right after those dudes walked back up the ramp, they totally hugged each other,” the blog’s author, JakkdUup said. “They were all over each other, it looked like they were totally going to make out.”

JakkdUup gave no further specifics, and spent the rest of his entry reviewing Madden 09. Within minutes the report had saturated news outlets throughout the world.

An Obama spokesman confirmed the embrace, calling the hug “No big deal.”

“It was your basic man hug, no different than when a star NFL player hugs a rival after a game,” he said, downplaying any sexual connotations. “No wait, it was more like the hug Ice Man gave Maverick at the end of Top Gun.”

The two men, who agreed to set politics aside during the ceremony, personally addressed the media later in the day.

“Yes, Senator McCain and I briefly embraced,” Obama said. “As a changing American looking to change the change, we changed more change. Because this country is ready for a change.”

McCain’s response was more direct. “Hey you kids, get off my lawn!”

Idaho Senator Larry Craig, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to a layover conflict, commented with ”Hot damn.”