Excessive coolness and pop culture appeal alone won’t carry Sen. Barack Obama to the White House, but it certainly never hurt anyone.

Witness the cover of the new Us Weekly.

Up there with The Hills’ Lauren Conrad, the pregnant Angelina Jolie and scandalous Linda Hogan is … America’s potential next First Lady!

Michelle Obama, who hosted The View yesterday, has been a lightning rod for controversy throughout the campaign. But she also holds youthful charisma, intelligence and wit that many Americans identify with and gravitate to.

Really, what’s not to love about Michelle Obama?

Growing up on Chicago’s working class South Side, she excelled at Princeton and Harvard Law and now, like mothers everywhere, focuses on keeping romance alive, as well as the difficult balancing act of her career and family.

The Obamas. They’re just like us! Okay, maybe not. But better them on the Us Weekly cover than the opposition. You don’t see John and Cindy McCain getting free publicity like this, do you? No, except when she steals recipes.

By now, most web-savvy voters have become quite familiar with the smart, sassy and sexy Obama Girl / Super Obama Girl, also known as Amber Lee Ettinger.

Whether she’s crushing on Barack (and Mike Gravel), or defending Obama from the attacks of Hillary Clinton, Amber Lee is a political force to be reckoned with!

But with the Democratic campaign in the books and the general election now in focus, she may have met her match … The Incredible McCain Girl!

Seriously, do not make Incredible McCain Girl angry. She may be extremely hot, but you won’t like her nearly as much when she’s angry. Trust us.

Well-cast foes featuring stark distinctions in background, presentation, personality and policy, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama are about to engage in a presidential campaign unlike any we’ve seen before.

George W. Bush and John Kerry had their differences, sure. But either way, we were guaranteed a Yale graduate and Skull & Bones member. This year’s Republican and Democratic contenders couldn’t be any less alike.

Over the next five months, McCain and Obama will spar frequently and campaign relentlessly as they seek votes of undecided Americans.

Debating economic policy, civil liberties, foreign policy views and whether or not the other is capable of keeping us safe and representing us around the world, each will offer many important reasons for you to support them.

Below, we will do no such thing.

But we’ve broken down the two candidates in the upcoming general election just the same, measuring strictly in terms of popular culture impact …

COOL SUPPORTERS

Barack Obama: will.i.am, Warren Buffett, George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Ellen Pompeo, Jessica Biel, Sidney Poitier, Samuel L. Jackson, etc., etc., etc.
John McCain: [withdraws name from ballot in this race]
Edge: Obama

NOT-COOL SUPPORTERS

Barack Obama: Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers
John McCain: Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt
Edge: McCain

BIGGEST YOUTUBE FANS

Barack Obama: Obama Girl
John McCain: McCain Girls
Edge: Obama

DAUGHTERS’ HOBBIES

Barack Obama: Riding bikes, dance recitals
John McCain: Blogging from campaign trail
Edge: McCain

Continue reading this article …

Wednesday, Upper Deck revealed its Presidential Predictor baseball cards from its Series II set, with one showing a triumphant Barack Obama lifted into the air by Hillary Clinton, declaring him the winner of the Democratic race…

While each candidate is featured opposing Republican John McCain on several other cards in the set, the company announced that an alternate version of the above card - featuring HRC winning - was also produced, then pulled.

The company then yanked the card showing Hillary Clinton as the victor from its collating machines during packaging. However, a few did make it out into packs and (says conventional wisdom) are therefore more valuable…

“We had the version of Barack Obama lifting up Hillary Clinton pulled as it became clearer that Barack would be the victor,” said Jason Masherah, Baseball Brand manager for Upper Deck, told the Orlando Sentinel.

“Pulling these cards is a process done by hand so it is possible some of these cards made it into packs. Those are considered an error version.”

We enjoy how in each case, the runner-up is wearing catcher’s equipment, and hoisting up the victor as if he (or she) had just clinched the World Series with a final strikeout. It conjures up memories of last October here in Boston. *sniff*

You may remember that this is not the first time Upper Deck removed a Hillary Clinton baseball card from this collection - the first featured HRC as Morganna, a.k.a. the Kissing Bandit, which some felt was in poor taste.

Forget his stirring speech on Tuesday night. One of the most talked-about moments marking Sen. Barack Obama’s finally clinching the Democratic nomination was his fist-bump on stage with wife Michelle Obama.

Asked about the knocking of knuckles, Barack Obama said that despite all the publicity and stress, he and Michelle “still do silly things.” Indeed!

A fist-bump alone won’t carry Barack and Michelle Obama to the White House, but it does show that the aspiring commander-in-chief is actually kind of cool.

That factor sure didn’t hurt Bill Clinton in 1992. Just saying.

On the flip side of the coolness scale, we have President George W. Bush, who recently went chest to chest with an Air Force Academy graduate.

Okay, we hate to say it, but that was, maybe, just a little bit cool as well. Political opinions aside, we have to credit G-Dubs on his form …

An Air Force grad gets an appropriate send-off from the President.

Karl Rove.

The name alone evokes awful memories. Fortunately, the one-time White House Deputy Chief of Staff and de facto brain of George W. Bush has left public life and isn’t ruining the U.S. anymore - just annoying it with columns.

Hey, it’s progress. But we still detest the man.

No, Karl Rove just won’t go away. We still have nightmares about him sometimes. In fact, we swear we saw him in the news the other day, though it actually turned out to be someone else, thank goodness.

Follow the jump to find out who …

Continue reading this article …

The web’s hottest political analyst, Amber Lee Ettinger (a.k.a. Super Obama Girl) is at it again. This time, she’s telling Hillary Clinton - whose chances dissipate with each passing day - to knock it off with the negative attacks, already!

Not to worry, Mike Gravel. Obama Girl hasn’t forgotten her recent crush on you. She just thinks the former First Lady needs to cool it.

The amazing thing? This video was posted March 25. Almost two months later, HRC is still launching attacks amid calls for her to drop out.

He may be on the cusp of securing the Democratic nomination for President, but Barack Obama is having trouble convincing one voter… and one whose support you’d think he would have locked up long ago.

It looks as if Amber Lee Ettinger, also known as “Obama Girl” and quasi-famous for her YouTube videos supporting the Illinois Senator, may be ready to give her support - and body - to another Democratic contender.

If you can call Mike Gravel that. Is he technically still running? Watch the clip below to find out what the former Alaska Senator is made of…

Hilarious. Donkey Dish would like to wish Mike Gravel the best of luck as he continues pushing for direct democracy - and a happy 78th birthday today!

In 2000, Cindy McCain was mostly a cheerful sidekick to her presidential candidate husband, mostly keeping her positions on policy to herself.

This year, the wife of Sen. John McCain has been back by his side as he seeks the White House for a second time, but even more of a presence.

So ever-present is Cindy McCain that we swear we saw her on reality TV recently… though it turned out to be someone else.

Follow the jump to find out who…

Continue reading this article …

Warning: Celebrity Endorsement! Tom Hanks has lent his support to Barack Obama in his quest to be the next President of the United States.

Believing Barack Obama is right person for the right job at this point in history, Hanks reflects on America’s past and its need to go in a new direction.

Hanks pokes fun at himself from the onset, stating that “As an official celebrity I know my endorsement has just made your mind up.”

Here’s Tom Hanks’ video, originally posted to his MySpace page …