Watching Oprah campaign for Senator Barack Obama this weekend, a few things occurred to me:
1. Her rhetoric was as light and wispy and unsubstantial as cotton candy. And it doesn't matter. Her star power draws crowds, her authoritative voice commands attention, and her physical carriage displays confidence: in herself, her beliefs, and her candidate. It didn't matter much that she didn't say anything at all. It was the WAY she said nothing that means something.
2. On the flip side, campaigning for his wife this weekend, Bill Clinton didn't even lay a glove on Oprah. People will come out to see him for the sheer novelty of seeing a former president. But he's overexposed. He's been on the scene too long. And he's one of those rare cases of a public person who is simultaneously entertaining and boring.
3. During one of Obama's speeches in Iowa, with Oprah at his side, the audio system failed. His microphone cut in and out so he couldn't get through even a single sentence without having static or silence intrude. Obama had to cut his speech short as no one could hear him. Oprah looked ticked off, and Mrs. Obama looked like she had her suspicions as to whom or what didn't want her husband to be able to complete a thought.
4. Less than four weeks before the first voters go to the polls, and the scheduled coronation of the hereditary monarach is encountering some potentially devastating complications. And they all begin with the letter "O."
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