What to say about the Great Mustache Scandal of 2012? Well, it serves to make a lobby for men with mustaches look better than the gullible Congressional candidate entangled in the crosshairs. (Sorry.) Yes, apparently Maryland Rep. Roscoe Bartlett has come under fire from his opponent this month for supposedly supporting a tax break for men with mustaches. The Associated Press has the full story on the mix-up that led The American Mustache Institute -- yes, that's a real thing -- to claim, erroneously as it turns out, that Bartlett supported their proposed tax break. We can only shake our heads and wonder at Bartlett's opponent State Delegate Kathy Azfali, who criticized him as "out of touch" without pausing a moment to think, "Hmm, wait a minute. Something about this smells like it's not real." Anyway, no one comes out of this very fun story looking all that great, except perhaps the bill's promoter, the American Mustache Institute, which reacted to Bartlett's denial of support for their bill with its best impression/parody of an outraged lobby:

"We are highly disappointed by their reversal based on the fact that the congressman's opponents in the race are jumping on the bandwagon to criticize him," chairman Aaron Perlut said. "They obviously don't understand what it is to be a mustached American."

The institute plans to send Burrell an autographed photo of Burt Reynolds as a goodwill gesture, Perlut said.

Burt Reynolds! Well done. Read the rest of the hairy tale from the Associated Press. 

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