Who Questions The Questioners?

Congratulations to the new Miss USA Rima Fakih, who's from Michigan, where I grew up.

There's some controversy over a question about Arizona's immigration law asked to one of the finalists. (She answered she's a huge believer in state's rights.) Of course, this isn't the first controversy Miss USA's had in this department.

I have a bigger question. Why are these women asked anything at all? Okay, it's amusing to watch the contestants grapple with great issues of the day, but what does it have to do with a beauty pageant?

Here are the five questions the finalists were asked:

1. As mentioned above, should Arizona mandate immigration laws? (It's a question about federalism, as it turns out.)

2. Should health insurance cover birth control pills? (This was Rima's question. She said yes, which must be the right answer, since she won.)

3. Should anonymous gossip websites be regulated by the government?

4. Should BP be required to pay all the costs of the oil clean-up?

5. Were this year's Miss USA photos too racy?

Presidents have gone through whole terms without being asked so many penetrating questions. Only the last one has any bearing on the pageant. I'm not entirely sure what the point of Miss USA is, but it can't be to get quick responses to questions that would require a term paper to properly answer.