'Please Tell Me He Isn't Wearing Dark Socks'

Lamest photo-op ever? Probably not, though it does open The Messiah to endless ridicule. This photo spread like wildfire over the weekend and boy, does he ever look like the consummate dork.

Nothing could top John Kerry in a bunny suit or Michael Dukakis on the tank. But seriously, how lame does this guy look?

Barack Obama ditched the campaign trail for the bike trail last weekend, offering onlookers a rare peek into the Democratic nominee's casual-wear closet.

It wasn't a pretty picture: ill-fitting jeans, a tucked-in golf shirt, black-and-white socks and a helmet that could make Michael Dukakis blush.

"Please tell me he isn't wearing dark socks," commented one of many Internet fashionistas who weighed in on Obama's recent ride along Lake Michigan with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 9.

"Barry is politically correct, wearing a nice helmet," noted another, tongue firmly in cheek.

But the professional fashion police were much more forgiving, arguing that Obama's regular-guy look could help him shed his image as a buttoned-up politician whose idea of dressing down is rolling up his white shirt sleeves.
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The presidential campaign trail is, of course, littered with near-fatal fashion statements. Dukakis' decision to don a helmet while riding a tank in a military photo op in 1988 all but cost him the election.

Al Gore was eviscerated in 2000 for his decision to shift his wardrobe to "earth tones," a color spectrum that image consultant Naomi Wolf deemed more reassuring to audiences.