Obama: Kamala Harris is ‘best-looking’ attorney general

President Obama had lots of kind words for California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris on Thursday -- including some remarks that raised eyebrows in the political world.

Speaking at a Bay Area fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, the president said Harris is “brilliant,� “dedicated� and “tough.� Then he added, “She also happens to be, by far, the best-looking attorney general.�

According to reports from the fundraiser, the crowd laughed and Obama said, “It’s true! C’mon.�

Some cringed at the remarks, given the historic hurdles women have faced to be recognized for their accomplishments rather than their looks.

Jonathan Chait, a writer for New York magazine, called Obama’s comments “disgraceful.�

“Women have a hard time being judged purely on their merits,� he wrote. “Discussing their appearance in the context of evaluating their job performance makes it worse.�

Over at the Washington Post, opinion writer Jonathan Capehart said Obama was only speaking “God’s honest truth,� and he emphasized that the president and Harris have been longtime friends and allies.

The president wasn’t “luridly cat-calling a woman he doesn’t know,� he wrote. “If I thought for one moment that’s what was going on, you better believe I’d hammer him for it. But that’s not the case here. Far from it. So lighten up, people.�

Meanwhile, the website Buzzfeed responded in typical form -- with a photo list of the country’s “12 Hottest Attorneys General.�

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Twitter: @chrismegerian