American Idol

Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for a wave of anti-Barack Obama sites to sprout up on the Internet. I haven't been looking for them, I just assumed they existed.

So what does it mean?

I don't know. Maybe Obama supporters should have stopped suspending their disbelief long ago. Maybe they just couldn't believe he could really win - until now. Maybe this will be a turning point for the candidate, the point where he either grows up or stays in political Neverland.

Whatever it is, we are nearing a cultural crossroads. Obama is unique. Politics in the age of the Internet is unique. How do the two reconcile themselves? Obama is hearkening back to a purer time when a JFK or RFK could move a nation with words. The Internet is a tool to burst the bubble of just such movements. But Obama also taps into something deeper, being black, coming at a moment when the generations most tied to the Internet are looking for something more authentic than the authenticity they find in snarky, Gawker-type deconstructionalism.

Someone smart better be writing books about this.