Caption Contest!

Given all the talk about acorns, plumbers and washed-up terrorists, we here at Stumper headquarters thought that you, our beloved readers, could use a little comic relief.

Or, more accurately, provide it. 

After almost heading the wrong way off the stage last night at Hofstra, John McCain quickly corrected course--and made colorful face in the process. Blink and you would've missed it. Which is why we have wire photographers like Emmanuel Dunand of AFP-Getty Images--and why wire photographers like Dunand have $5,000 cameras, massive telephoto lenses and speedy motor drives. Thanks to Dunand, this classic Kodak Moment can now live on in the annals of history:

You job, dear reader, is to come up with a caption--just explain what's going on. (The New Republic's Mike Crowley, for example, offers this: "Maybe he just drank some hot bottled water?") Hit us with your best shot in the comments, and we'll post the funniest entry later this afternoon.

A necessary caveat: split-second photography can make anyone look weird. In this case, it's McCain who happens to be on the receiving end of the unflattering stick--hilariously so. But if you've seen a similarly ridiculous (recent) shot of Obama, send it to aromano@newsweek.com. We'll be happy to feed the Illinois senator to the sharks as well.

Happy captioning!

UPDATE: Thanks for the submissions, everyone. There were some great pop-culture references in there, and I'd be remiss not to highlight them here.

Worriedabouttheworld33 cited Gollum: "Ahhh..me likes the microphone....me wants the microphone....my precious!!!!!!"

Tpverso cited Jim Morrison: "I AM THE LIZARD KING!!!"

Mayshays cited Star Wars: Said Jabba to Obama,  "Ichaga kong un bantha pudu!"

And Republicratarian cited, um, the Mary Tyler Moore Show: "Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain, mistakenly believing that he was on 'Dancing With The Stars,' attempts to waltz with an imaginary Cloris Leachman while plumbing her tonsils."

But I have to say, my favorite caption was misheezy's: "Time for the clowns! Yut dut duddle uddle ut da da da..." I'm not saying this was the cleverest caption I've ever seen. But it's the one that made me laugh hardest when read alongside the picture. Something about imagining "Entrance of the Gladiators"--i.e., the clown music--suddenly blaring from the PA as McCain spontaneously, unquestioningly breaks into a silly clown dance, leaving everyone else to wonder what the heck is going on. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the absurd.