This sounds like life imitating The Onion. Pardon me if you’ve heard of this already, but this tidbit of news was well-hidden, and by that I mean, “in the pages of Newsweek.”

To stem the criticism [of Obama from minority groups], NBA legend Magic Johnson plans to meet with Obama in Washington, D.C., this week to suggest the president appoint a high-profile liaison between the White House and the black and Latino communities — a minority czar, of sorts. “The next 12 months will really be the test for him,” Johnson tells NEWSWEEK. “I think we in the community will really have to begin to see the changes needed to get us back on track in 2010.” Among the issues Johnson wants Obama to address: the growing number of unemployed black men; the continued practice of big banks refusing to lend money to minority businesses; and the rise in HIV and AIDS in the black and Latino communities. Johnson plans to nominate himself for the job: “And if he wants someone else, that’s fine, too. But the sooner the better.”

So what angle plays worst for the administration? That the solution to their current mess is yet another czar, that minorities need their own separate czar to deal with their concerns, or that the best choice to handle this issue is Magic Johnson? Yes, he’s a successful entrepreneur and business developer since his playing days. But somehow this concept seems to underline everything from the old McCain “celebrity” ad.

UPDATE: One angle was so obvious that I didn’t even spell it out, that the first African-American president needs a special czar to communicate to minority groups . . .