circus of irony.

Big － really, really big － news over at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey . . . and at the White House, no doubt.

On the eve of President Barack Obama's inauguration, Ringling Bros.' first Asian elephant born from artificial insemination (!!) arrived at a whopping 250 pounds, and almost square (39 inches high, 41 inches long). The big, big bouncing baby boy was named, honorably, Barack.

Baby Barack is the 22nd to be born into the Western Hemisphere's largest herd of Asian elephants － 54, including 13 over the age of 45 and one older than 60 － all under the care of the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation. The Center was established in 1995 to ensure future generations have the opportunity to experience the endangered Asian elephant species, and includes a 200-acre, state-of-the-art facility designed for the elephants' reproduction, research and retirement.

Barack － the pachyderm, not the President － is the first calf for mama Bonnie and an as-yet-undetermined donor daddy.

I'm all for elephant conservation, and the circus, for that matter, but does it strike anyone else odd that they named an elephant － the Republican party's mascot － for our new Democratic leader??