You're missing my point. My point is not that such pursuits are valid, it's simply that they are a normal part of the process. Obama isn't facing anything new here. It's a minor annoyance to be dealt with in a way that doesn't cater to a Politically Correct infringement on free speech.It's not about getting a pass on something, it's about rising above that level of childishness that taints the political process in the first place.
Just because others have done it before doesn't make it any less ridiculous to do it now.