When I say “people,” I don’t mean bloggers and grassroots Twitterati. I mean people:

Follow the link and read some of the comically dismayed replies to that tweet from left-wing concern trolls. I’m surprised, actually, that there hasn’t been more fake outrage ginned up by liberals to try to spoil the fun righties have been having with this meme. Josh Marshall of TPM gave it a shot on Tuesday night when it was first heating up, but I think he might have moved too soon. Twitter was too busy at the time giggling at photoshops of The One nibbling on dachshunds to fret about the veiled Islamophobic undertones or whatever. (“Dog” whistle!) Now that we’re a few days removed, though, and this has crept up the media food chain and into the White House briefing room, the moment to snuff this punchline and get back to the important business of talking about Romney’s dog is coming. Ace tweets, “What percentage of MSM outfits are right now noodling with a story about how it’s ‘racially insensitive’ to crack wise about dog-eating?” Right. Or what about the “Downfall” parody that made the rounds last night? Surely that’s fertile ground for a pretend-offended accusation about trivializing Nazism. I figure we’ve got tomorrow to enjoy one last day of Obama dog-eating jokes and then, if they’re still going on Monday, the meme-dampening effort begins in earnest.

Carney, very wisely, is in good humor about it here because he knows that fake indignation from the podium will only kick off another round of jokes. Better to let the fake indignation happen organically among the lefty grassroots a la what McCain is getting right now.

Update: And, almost on cue, here’s George Stephanopoulos wondering whether the “dog wars” have jumped the shark. Predicted media reply: Yes with respect to the Obama dog-eating goofs, no with respect to Seamus.