I have a dream. I have a dream that one day rodeo clowns will be able to make fun of left-wing political hacks without respect to race, color or creed… without being banned, threatened with a Federal investigation by the NAACP or having their house burned down.

I h ave a dream that one day … oh well

A rodeo clown’s controversial Missouri State Fair antics went viral after wearing a President Barack Obama mask. It divided people across the country on whether Tuffy Gessling’s stunt was disrespectful to Obama.

Is that even an issue.

Was Saturday Night Live respectful to Bush? Are clowns supposed to be respectful to anyone?

Gessling started a firestorm – angry rebukes from politicians, a lifetime ban from the Missouri State Fair and more personal hits than he ever faced in the ring.

“I’ve had one lady spit in my face, called me a dirty name, spit in my face and walked off,” Gessling said.

And he says there have been five death threats.

“I’ve had somebody threaten to run me over. One of them wanted to burn the house down,” he said.

Obama love makes some people do crazy things. But did Gessling start it or did the Obama lovers?

Gessling says that hate is actually what finally brought him out to speak. “I didn’t do this to do any hating on anyone. I did this to be funny. I did it to be a joke,” Gessling said.

Gessling said the clown act has been around for generations.

“I didn’t think anything more of it than what we’ve done 15 years ago, ten years ago, five years ago, when we’ve done it with Bush, Clinton and Ronald Reagan,” Gessling said.

But this time, race entered the equation. A white man dressed in a mask of a black president was just offensive to a lot of people.

So were black comedians barred from making fun of Bush? No. Apparently the offense only works one way.