Imagine if Obama had been this stupid..

You're absolutely right. Were we dealing with Senator Obama, under a President McCain, and had Senator Obama defied State Department orders to not put their visiting bodies anywhere near Syrian Rebels, let alone Syria itself...especially for a "fuck your orders" photo op with said Rebels...only to find out a day or two later your grinning mug was right next to the grinning mugs of two individuals involved with the political/religious kidnapping of 11 Shiite pilgrims (and trust me...that kidnapping had everything to do with politics and religion)...Senator Obama would have been fucking eviscerated by all the Republican powers that be.

You're also correct about the lack of outrage, when it's ideological. They just turn it on and off. Despite circumstance being similar or the same, despite reason. One of ours? Eh. One of theirs? Holy shit! Even though it's the same, it's completely different! Burn the witch!

There wouldn't be one ounce of, "Well, I'm sure it wasn't his intention to pose next to kidnappers...smiling. While *regrettable*, it certainly wasn't a purposeful, knowing endorsement of their past actions or possible current allegiances. It's just an unfortunate mistake."

Oh know. If that were President Obama? It would have been..."The Great Satan has been revealed! He probably already handed them plans for a dirty bomb or worse! My Gawd! He's the fuck'in Hannibal Lecter of subterfuge! We're all gonna diiiieeeee!"