U-S-A-F Air Force Dance

It seems like every other day we're learning about someone new who was caught on a hidden video camera. While it worked for a while with programs like Candid Camera, the novelty started wearing off when everyone and their cousin could get one of these devices. Of course, in today's ever-increasingly voyeuristic world, the number of times where the hidden camera got the viewers into trouble was almost as high as the number of hidden cameras in use.

And yet, every once in a great while, a hidden camera story actually manages to shine a little bit of happiness on the world at large, or at least those who find the footage through YouTube. No, we're not talking about yet another celebrity car crash, we're talking about the Dancing Cadet.

Admittedly, the cadet's video, captured by his roommate when he thought he was alone, is an old story. The video itself was called the best viral video of 2005 by Salon.com. The two men behind the video (well, one behind and one in front, techically) were given awards for improving academy morale. They also made it onto The Maury Povich Show, or at least the dancer, Second Lieutenant Jeff Pelehac did.

But what should have been a quick flash in the pan of the collective subconscious was recently brought back, as Pelehac graduated from the academy. During the commencement speech, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made mention of the dance, admitting that, "Yes, I've seen the video."

This goes to show one of two things. Either the mention indicates that Gates, and possibly other leaders, paid enough attention to learn who was behind the video, and when they were graduating, figuring that it might be nice for the Air Force to poke a little playful fun at one of their own. The other option is that Gates, and possibly other leaders, are still painfully trapped in the middle of 2005, and therefore have just learned about the video's existence. We can't be positive, but we suspect that Gates is really looking forward to the big Samuel L. Jackson movie about cobras and an airport, or something like that.

Maybe the kid that danced his way through the Tibetan mandala last weekend should've made sure that video cameras were around. If Pelehac can make it to Maury Povich, then this kid might just have a shot on So You Think You Can Dance?. It wouldn't be the worst thing on television.