1/ The photo was poor taste, but before forming opinions, people might review other USO tours, including Bob Hope’s, but especially
2/ photos, videos and blog posts of this tour & others with either Franken or Tweeden. Humor in USO tours in warzone not necessarily same.
3/ A recurring theme from Hope & Franken,is self-deprecating humor in which lecherous comic pursues attractive sidekick,usually unsuccessful
4/ That was in 2003 Franken script, where on-stage soldier got kissed instead. Troops loved it, as they did Franken’s Saddam skits.
5/ Franken took in awful roles as Saddam (watch the 2006 video), but in context, likely funny; troops loved it. The mimed grope dumb, but...
6/ yet another in the theme of inept lecher unsuccessfully pursuing attractive woman, in this case especially ineptly, because she’s wearing
7/ body armor en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercept… in brightly-lit plane,mugging for tour camerman & seeming not touching. A real grope?
8/ If so, most inept grope ever,but quite inline with risque humor often found in these tours, whose scripts often make Franken look silly.
9/ So, if this did actually happen on flight from Afghanistan in 24th (the photo metadata says 21st H/T @DipswitchDan & other oddities)
10/ Tweeden says she was exhausted, quickly fell asleep (on side seat, not more comfortable seats in middle); Andy Barr blogged about tired
11/ Of course everyone was exhausted, if you read Barr’s travelog. Franken is ~22 years older than Tweeden. Would he have been exhausted?
12/ So, tasteless joke, Franken mocking himself, easy to misinterpret out of context, where context needs review of nature of these tours.
13/ Bounds of OK humor vary widely by circumstances & place (i’ve visited ~45 countries & care needed). Photos w/o context can mislead.
14/ So, advice:spend a few hours like some have, digging into blogs, seeing photos & videos, reading about tours. Watch Tweeden&Williams.
15/ Watch Saddam skit, read Franken 2004 article. Reasonable people can reach different opinions, but informed ones are more credible.
16/ See also for some more relevant images & videos.
