Webster gives several definitions for Bench Mark, but this is the one I like best:

something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged

In our world, we have several people who have served as Benchmarks. Hitler is the benchmark against which all other evil men are measured, though he hardly holds a candle to other socialists in many respects. benedict arnold? the benchmark in traitorous behavior. The list is long.

Now we have a new benchmark, a line to be scribed on our bench to show how ignorant a nation can be, and how worthless a single human can be, and that benchmark is Obama. Take out your knife, scribe a line, rub in some cigarrette ash to darken it, pencil “obama” next to the line. Gonna be an interesting four years.