Barack Obama did an interview with yesterday with Sway, MTV's official friendly ambassador from the land of hip hop. A viewer asked him about towns that try to pass laws banning baggy pants. First Obama said those laws are a "waste of time." But then he added, "brothers should pull up your pants!" Is Barack Obama a fashion icon, or your grumpy old dad—or is he both?!?! [UPDATE: Clip of the interview below!]:

Obama said such laws were "a waste of time," but didn't hold back on his own view on the fad. "Having said that, brothers should pull up their pants," he declared. "You are walking by your mother, your grandmother, your underwear is showing. What's wrong with that? Come on." "Some people might not want to see your underwear - I'm one of them," he added.

If anybody who actually wears baggy pants heard this from any other presidential candidate in history, their reaction would be, quote, "Whatever." But Obama may finally be able to make some real headway in our nation's deadlock over just how much sag is allowable amongst our youth. Having Obama say this is kind of the equivalent of having Bill Cosby say it to Theo's friends 20 years ago: He's not an old dude who's trying to be down, he's just an older dude who's naturally cool and who demands your respect because of that. Therefore you just may see some cats pulling up their jeans for Obama. He also said Sway's dreads "looked tight," which is just one more reason he is the coolest politician everrrrr. [NYP; Pic via Guanabee]