White House bares teeth at The Onion

The satirical newspaper The Onion has gotten some attention from some pretty big guns.

According to an article in the New York Times The White House sent the online paper a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that it remove images of the White House seal from its Web site.

The Onion used the images in a regular parody of President Bush's weekly radio address.

Lawyers for the administration noted that U.S. Code forbids the use of the seal "in connection with commercial ventures or products in any way that suggests presidential support or endorsement." Exceptions are allowed, the Times said, but the Onion had not applied for one.

The paper's lawyer replied that the site is satire, and "it is inconceivable that anyone would think that, by using the seal, The Onion intends to 'convey...sponsorship or approval' by the president."

Blog community response:

"So this may be how the Miers nomination got through: Late last month, the White House was embroiled in a complicated legal battle that drew the attention of chief aides and erupted in a furious exchange of letters. They were worried, they were distracted, they were trying to get The Onion to stop using the Presidential Seal, lest readers believe that the satirical site have official 'presidential support or endorsement.'"
--Wonkette

"Right, cause with those approval ratings being what they are, The Onion just wanted a piece of the action."
--Left in the West

"One more sign that no one in the White House Counsel Office run by Harriet Miers has ever read the Constitution."
--LawGeek