Spears: Bad for Marriage, Good for Metaphors!

Britney Spears is something of a poster child for bad marriages. She married two different guys in 2004. Her infamous first marriage, a quickie Vegas wedding to a childhood friend, ended about 50 hours after the vows. Her second marriage is about 16 months old, and, although it has produced a baby, is perpetually rumored to be on the rocks.

All of that made Britney a ripe topic of conversation in Iowa this week. Governor Tom Vilsack invoked Britney in a discussion about whether the state should extend civil union rights to include same-sex couples:

"I personally don't think that it is fair...for Britney Spears, who was married for 51 hours to some guy in Las Vegas (for) that guy (to have) more rights than someone who's been committed to another person for 25 years."

It's certainly not the first time a public official (well, a spouse) has pointed to Brit as a bad role model. And it probably won't be the last.