'I'm With Stupid' T-Shirt Trips Up Ecuador's President

Politicians have basic rules about photo ops: Smile when you pose with kids, point at random things, and don't stand next to people taller than you. This week, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa learned one more: Don't get on the wrong side of an "I'm With Stupid" T-shirt.

In a gaffe that plays right into the hands of social media and his critics, Correa did just that, in a recent photo he took with a boy who was wearing the shirt, its arrow pointing directly at the president. If you're wondering: Correa speaks fluent English and holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois. He has conducted interviews in both Spanish and English.

Jokes and comments immediately sprang up after the photo emerged on Twitter, driven by hashtags such as #IAmWithStupidMashi — and a competing tag, #WeAreWithYouMashi (a reference to Correa's nickname of Mashi).

One comment floated a conspiracy in which the boy was a CIA infiltrator attempting to destabilize the government. Another stated, "They say that kids and drunks never lie!"

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/09/398538627/im-with-stupid-t-shirt-trips-up-ecuadors-president

Kid better watch his back.