The media loves Barack Obama. There's no denying it, he's good on the camera, he speaks well, he carries himself well, and, despite Bill Clinton's claims for the title, if he wins, he truly will be the first black President of the United States.
What does he stand for? What, really, are his driving motivations and philosophies? How much attention has been paid to his record during his bid for the White House? And how does a children's cartoon series play into Presidential politics?
Some pundits have already labeled Obama a "cult personality." With his "Yes we can" speech and his calls for change, Obama has mounted a powerful surge against the tide of Clinton support within the Democratic Party. Even the Kennedy clan is split in their support for Presidential candidates. But is it any more than the normal smoke and mirrors of Washington politics?
Obama, a first-term Illinois senator who would be America's first black president, is threatening to swamp Clinton, the New York senator with the political pedigree who had long been the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.
Popular Hollywood actors and musicians have made a Web video glorifying his stump speech, singing "Yes We Can" as he delivers his lines. Liberals and moderates are gushing over him.
Democratic strategist Liz Chadderdon said Obama is sweeping Americans off their feet.
How is he doing it? Perhaps by giving such moving speeches as this one:
No wonder he's been compared to Elvis and JFK. And it may be that, in some weird Freudian way, we've seen a glimpse into the inner workings of Obama's mind, as he has chosen as his campaign catch phrase a slogan that children across the country can relate back to if you ask them about Bob the Builder.
"Can we build it? YES WE CAN!"
Perhaps we can expect to see some Tonka toys in the Oval Office if Obama is elected President, just slightly out of sight of the camera's when he gives us his fireside chats. Don't be surprised if there isn't a hard hat lying around somewhere as well.
Maybe just a little bit more thought should have been put into selecting a campaign slogan...
Once and Always, an American Fighting Man
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