Whatever Oprah Wants...

Oprah and Hillary in Iowa City,
They're not K-I-S-S-I-N-G
That's because Oprah, her supreme highness of all things media and worthiness, has decided to show favor upon Barack Obama. "The Winfrey Effect" is in full effect in Iowa, where next month delegates will start forming a line behind the candidate they think will give their party the best chance of winning the general election that is still a year away. Thousands of voters, many who've never had contact with the Obama's campaign before, have signed up on his web site or come into campaign offices to pick up tickets for the gala that will feature an appearance by her Oprahness. It is, especially for Iowa, a frenzy.
And what makes Oprah such a bellwether when it comes to politics? Well, she's got her own TV show, and a magazine that arrives monthly packed with fresh insights of Winfrey-Think and a glorious new photo of the queen of all media smiling of the cover. And a ton of money. She hopes that others will bring their tons of money to drop on the campaign of the Senator from Illinois. Fair enough, it's essentially the same thing she's done for books for lo these many years: "What's Oprah reading?" "Who does Oprah want to be President?" First of all, let's remember that she has featured famous nut-job and pretty-boy Tom Cruise on her show, bounding over and onto furniture. Maybe a little Ritalin would have helped. Then again, James Frey didn't show up to bounce on the couch, but had to make a repeat appearance to apologize for being a big fat liar.
Am I suggesting that Barack Obama is a Scientologist or a great big fibber? Not in the least. I respect and admire the man for his courage and convictions, if not his vague sense of responsibility for his vote to go to war in Iraq. For the record, he's been regretting it ever since, but he did vote for it, along with several additional funding bills since.
But so has Hillary, so maybe it's all going to come down to who wins the coveted endorsement prize. Oprah's already got her man, and she wants you to drop a couple thousand dollars to find out why. And if you're lucky, that will be the night that everybody in attendance also gets a BRAND NEW CAR!
Sorry, I just don't get it.