Via Greg Hengler, why not? Why not at least send them through the scanner, just as a PSA to remind passengers that they can skip the junk-touching if they’re willing to stand in front of the machine for a few seconds? Frankly, I’m surprised that The One hasn’t already mobilized Napolitano and TSA chief John Pistole to be scanned in full view of TV cameras to help calm passengers’ nerves, as Villaraigosa had the good political sense to do yesterday at LAX. After all, the backlash to the backlash is now in full swing, with loyal liberals loudly proclaiming that their junk is here for the touching. Seize the moment, Barry! Now’s the time for a little proactive “messaging” — if only to distract people from the whining by White House aides about how frustrated they are with the public’s grumbling.

As for Huck’s insistence that strip-or-grope is unconstitutional, the truth is a bit more nuanced. See this primer from CBS on how courts balance protections against unreasonable searches with the special security needs of airports. They can’t do anything they like to you, but as long as they’re being no more intrusive than necessary — and arguably, per the Abdulmutallab plot, checking people’s junk is now necessary — then they’re probably safe. (Er, what happens then if a terrorist is caught smuggling explosives in a body cavity?) Which is to say, when that TSA supervisor famously told John Tyner, “By buying your ticket you gave up a lot of rights,” he wasn’t as wrong as you might think. Exit question: Okay, let’s give up the scanners and the patdowns. What’s Huck’s solution once we do that?