In the news lately we've been bombarded with images of Michelle Obama while commentators compare her wardrobe to that of beloved first lady and fashion icon Jacqueline Kennedy.
Yesterday Barack Obama appeared in a TV spot before Lifetime's hit show "Army Wives," remarking eloquently on the difficulties that spouses of servicemen and servicewomen face daily.
This week on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" viewers were subjected to political parody band Detroit Octane growling their version of "Barack Obama-sistible" while wearing T-shirts and trucker hats bearing his image.
It's practically impossible to channel surf without seeing his face at least once.
The man is everywhere.
Excitement for a candidate is one thing. In many ways, the frenzy surrounding Obama's candidacy speaks well of Americans. It's about time party conversations involved politics instead of the running tally of this week's beer pong tourney.
But how much of it is genuine excitement about his ideals and how much is simply following the crowd?
Obama supporters are some of the loudest and most in-your-face political activists around, besides the noisy but ineffective Ron Paulies. But many Obama supporters — like Steve Carell in the movie "Anchorman" — don't know what they're yelling about.
Maybe we've been too caught up in the "Obamania" to realize what he's actually saying. We've gotten lost in the prose and forgotten what he's proposing.
How many young, enthusiastic Obama supporters can tell you how excited they are to vote for the candidate, but can't tell you why?
In his book "The World is Flat," Thomas L. Friedman wrote, "In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears — and that is our problem."
America is more concerned with celebrity than policy, and we're unspeakably worse off for it.
From mentions in rap songs to appearances on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine while looking presidentially off into space, Obama has become more of a celebrity than a politician.
And for what?
Change isn't a new idea.
Unity, love of country, hard work and accountability — none of these are Obama trademarks.
Since when is "change" the property of one political candidate?
If you trust him to lead this country with little-to-no foreign policy experience in a time of war and untested and unwise plans for healthcare reform, immigration and the economy, go ahead and cast your vote.
But you'd better do your homework first.
And when the Obama bandwagon rolls up to your door, consider going against the flow.
