I expected this.

When Chief-of-Staff David Axelrod complained that Barack Obama keeps the Oval Office warm enough that “You could grow orchids in there,” it was bound to lead to criticism.

Now critics are using Obama’s words against him. At a campaign rally in Oregon last May, Obama said:

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times. That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen.”

“It’s stunning hypocrisy,” said Christopher Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Obama’s aides try to excuse the high thermostat setting by explaining that Obama is a native of Hawaii. If he came directly from Hawaii, sure, but there was that two decade layover in Chicago to become acclimated with the cold.

However, it might explain why Obama has loosened the dress code in the White House. Staffers now walk away around without a coat and tie. It is probably too hot for most of them to wear it.