In yesterday’s press conference held by president Obama, much of the attention was naturally paid to the deal reached with Iran. But for reasons that mystify me, US presidents are often asked about other things that have nothing to do with their role in office and, even more mystifyingly, actually answer them instead of asking why the hell they are being asked such random questions.

In this case there was a question about Bill Cosby, sparked by the recent unsealing of his testimony in a case dating back to 2005 in which a deal was arrived at with a woman who had accused him of sexual assault. In that transcript, Cosby admitted that he had purchased a stock of drugs for the purpose of giving them to women that he wanted to have sex with, although he a voided admitting that he had actually done so.

In his response, Obama seemed to suggest, without directly addressing Cosby’s case, that such behavior constitutes rape.

I’ll say this: If you give a woman — or a man for that matter — without his or her knowledge, a drug, and then have sex with that person without consent, that’s rape,” Obama said (via Gawker). “And I think this country, any civilized country, should have no tolerance for rape.”

Given that the Republican strategy has been to automatically and vigorously oppose any action that Obama takes (other than those that benefit the wealthy), will those running for the Republican nomination for president now leap to the defense of Cosby and say that he is being unfairly maligned by the president and by feminists who are out to smear a good man who has given so much pleasure to millions?