Something to be jealous of...

Rey Decerega just threw the elbow that most of America undoubtedly wishes that they could have thrown...

President Obama's post-Thanksgiving Friday was anything but restful after he played some hoops and walked away with a split upper lip requiring 12 stitches.

"After being inadvertently hit with an opposing player's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family, the president received 12 stitches today administered by the White House Medical Unit," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

The White House had been tight-lipped about the perpetrator, but late in the day, he revealed himself. Rey Decerega, who works for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, was the man behind the elbow.

"I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport," Decerega said in a statement. "I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning. I'm sure he'll be back out on the court again soon."

The president frequently plays ball at a variety of indoor courts around Washington during his down time. Friday morning, he played a series of five-on-five games at Ft. McNair, a military facility in the city.

Also joining Mr. Obama were members of his family, who were in town for the holiday, and returning player, presidential assistant Reggie Love, who played for the Duke Blue Devils 2001 championship team.

Usually, the after-game talk centers around how Mr. Obama's team handily beat the competition. This time, the buzz was about the video and still photos the press shot of the president dabbing his lip with what looked like gauze.

Karma's a bitch, but it always comes around, even sometimes in the form of an "accidental" elbow. Maybe Obama shouldn't have promised to pass that amnesty bill that Decerega's constituency wanted and then blew them off, eh?

Oh--and had this happened to President BUSH, it'd be fodder for jokes and late-night lampooning for weeks. But since it happened to the Anointed One, I'm predicting that it goes the way of all of his other gaffes and goofs and we hear very little about it after today. Media Bias? Nah....