Are you, or do you know someone who claims to have been a roommate or classmate of Barack Obama in college? Maybe it’s something about Colorado, but first-person-endorsements of Obama abound here. They’re as ubiquitous as Columbia post grads on chat sites, le cred ne plus ultra -we could add- du jour. This smells like teen spirited campaign strategy urban myth to me. Personal testimonials serve the same purpose as shills lauding the snake oil salesman, they give roots to a newcomer to those in the crowd who hadn’t noticed they rode into town together. Was Obama’s class so populous to yield these disciples now coming out of the woodwork? Were they sent forth to seed all major US cities and states?

Obama’s chances. Maybe the deep voiced revival speaker could get himself elected. What then? What is he promising by way of change? An example not being reserving the right to launch air attacks on Pakistan or on any sovereign people with whom polls show Americans can be led to find fault.

Obama acolytes tell me I must read his book, his Kampf apparently, where he outlines his intentions, or would, if they could be unveiled prematurely. It makes sense of course that you could never be [s]elected by the corporate machine if you are campaigning on a platform of threats to entrenched power. Look at Kucinich or Nader, getting nowhere. What would happen if a candidate should turn coat against the big money behind him? Has it ever happened? The nearest anyone has ever gotten is assassination.

Obama fans think their candidate is so much the real thing that he may indeed be assassinated. Fine. Their perceptive judgement of Obama’s promise will be vindicated if that happens, you can almost see them enshrine I told you sos already. Then what? Who’ll be waiting in the wings as VP that we know we really cannot count on? Joseph Lieberman?