PHONY SCANDAL OF THE DAY

The Independent reports:

President goes for a swim in the Gulf -- or does he?

President Barack Obama wanted to convince America that the Gulf of Mexico remains open for business....

So ... he and his daughter, Sasha, took a dip in the sea off Florida this weekend....

... Yet it soon emerged that the private beach on which it was taken, off Alligator Point in St Andrew Bay, north-west Florida, isn't technically in the gulf....

The wingnuttosphere has already sprung into action. Weasel Zippers: "FAIL: Obama's Much Heralded Swim in the Gulf Wasn't Actually in the Gulf..." Right Pundits: "Obama Gulf Swim –--Real or Faked?" Consent of the Governed: "More White House Deception." John Lott (yes, that John Lott): "Did Obama pull a fast one in claiming that he went swimming in the Gulf of Mexico."

Here's the truth about St. Andrews Bay, from a site called (note the name, please) GulfBase.org ("a project of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi"):

St. Andrews Bay is located directly adjacent to Panama City, Florida with St. Andrews Sound located southeast of the bay. Covering approximately 280 sq. km (Keppner and Keppner, 2001), the estuary includes West Bay, North Bay, St. Andrews Bay and East Bay, and extends for approximately 49.6 km along the Gulf coast. Unique among Florida estuaries, St. Andrews Bay lacks input from any major river system, but does receive freshwater from numerous creeks, bayous and wastewater treatment plants. The restricted amount of freshwater allows the influence of Gulf of Mexico water to dominate the bay. Connection with the Gulf is via two passes on the eastern and western ends of Shell Island.

(Emphasis added.)

So what The Independent says appears to be technically correct -- yet the water supply of the bay is dominated by Gulf water.

Oh, and here's a map of the Gulf of Mexico, accompanied by a GulfBase.org map that locates St. Andrews Bay:



If you were quizzed on these maps, wouldn't you say you thought St. Andrews Bay was in the Gulf?