On Thursday, July 24, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, was photographed aboard his campaign plane in Tel Aviv, Israel, wearing black pants, a white dress shirt and a sky-blue necktie that hung just below his belt. But perhaps the most notable part of his outfit was what he appeared to have on beneath it: the ribbed, cotton sleeveless undershirt known, to use the non-politically-correct term, as the “wifebeater.”

Yes, as far as the eye could tell, Mr. Obama was sporting one of those men’s undergarments most commonly associated with real-life Tony Sopranos and Stanley Kowalskis. In popular culture, they’ve long been a symbol of sloppiness, bringing to mind images of sweat, booze and grease stains, and tough-talking guidos with visible armpit hair cruising the boardwalks of the Jersey Shore.  read more »