Actual Headline

Barack Obama, honeymoon killer?

For an article about whether President-Elect Barack Obama has, by virtue of "creeping signs of centrism," given progressives reason to panic, Salon chose to play on the old "honeymoon's over" chestnut by suggesting Obama may be a "honeymoon killer."

Problem is, a "honeymoon killer" doesn't mean someone who kills a honeymoon. It refers to a man who kills his wife on their honeymoon (or soon after their marriage), e.g. Gabe Watson, a term that can be traced back to a 1970 cult film called The Honeymoon Killers which is loosely based on a dozen real-life murders of young women who replied to "Lonely Hearts" ads.

Suffice it to say, I find the headline a curious choice.

Especially given that it's eminently possible to discuss this issue without implying the president-elect is a vicious misogynistic murderer.

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