Alternate headline: “Obama inventing entirely new ways to alienate Americans.” I glanced at the L.A. Now headline about the traffic clusterfark this morning and didn’t give it a second thought, figuring that “presidential motorcade causes traffic jam” is too lame to blog even on a slow summer news day. But then I saw the Wrap’s post demanding an apology, and then the Times followed up with a story about commuters demanding an honest-to-goodness investigation into what happened, and suddenly I realized — we’ve got dumb/fun content gold here.

I only wish I had time to work up a photoshop for the occasion. Thank heavens for Slublog!

The massive traffic jam that resulted from President Obama’s motorcade and speech Monday night in Hancock Park is prompting calls for an investigation from some residents, who say they were caught in traffic for hours…

“What has occurred is way beyond reasonable and can only be described as negligent,” L.A. resident Kevin McCarthy said in an e-mail to The Times.
“If it isn’t my story, currently evolving, of beginning my 1 mile journey home at 5pm and at 7:50pm now being 3 miles from home with no viable idea of how to get closer, it should be about the two sirens-wailing ambulances I have witnessed stuck in this unnecessary gridlock.”…

One man, who did not want to give his name, said it had taken his wife four hours to drive home from Brentwood. Another man trying to walk west on 6th Street to his office shouted at the officers blocking his way and told them he wished he had voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Obama’s opponent in the 2008 presidential race.

Click over to JWF’s post and scroll down for a selection of comically overwrought comments left at the Times by enraged Angelenos. (“That’s it, I’m done. I even voted for him, but now I’m convinced that I’ll vote for anyone but him in the next election.”) I assume that at least a few were left by conservative infiltrators just having fun with this story, much like the people at Amazon who leave comments on the “Three Wolf Moon” page about how their new t-shirt saved their life, but either way, it’s pure reading enjoyment. From the Wrap’s post:

I am coming to you live from the center of the worst traffic jam I have ever seen in my life. I’ve been trapped here for over three hours because President Obama and a group of Hollywood insiders are having a fancy fundraiser…

If the President was unable to get to John Wells’ house without causing this level of disruption, then perhaps he should have done his fundraising somewhere else — like somewhere accessible by helicopter. Going through this gridlock is extra-painful because I know it is due to partisan fundraising rather than state business.

I don’t know who specifically was responsible for the mess — LADOT, the LAPD or the Secret Service, but I know that it was inexcusable.

Memo from Obama to Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman: You’re welcome. And the worst part? The One didn’t even get to meet Barbra at his fundraiser. Exit question: Surely the GOP wouldn’t circulate news video of the traffic jam just to tweak him a little. Would they?

Update: Oops — a reader points out that the video below appears to come from Seattle, not L.A. Sorry for the (GOP’s) error. But in case you needed a visual aid for the idea of Angelenos simmering with anger at being forced to a full stop on the freeway, you’re covered.