The Saint

The Obama photoshoot in the GoodWeekend a few weeks back was a little bit concerning, I thought. It was a great set - I spent about 15 minutes swooning over it - and it reinforced my crush, as it probably did for other readers.

But one photo stuck out: it showed Obama sitting with his crossed feet resting on a table. The caption described the holes in the bottom of his shoes, which had been made by all the walking that he had been doing during the campaign. It was the hardship that he'd been through that we were encouraged to see. The worn-out shoes became a shorthand for the man himself.

A similar thing happened with the 'news' that Obama is going to purchase a tuxedo for his inauguration. He only has one beaten-up one, apparently, which he purchased years ago. This is appealing, of course, but it's also fairly irrelevant.

Looking at the photos, I found it very hard to slough off the sense of awe that I felt, and feel, towards him. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that a large section of the population - me included - is 'in love' with him, insofar as one can fall in love with a stranger. This is a helpful attitude to have when you're supporting a campaign, but perhaps not so helpful when you're dealing with a sitting president.

It's hardly Obama's fault that he is, well, not exactly aesthetically or charismatically deficient. However, I think it will be a challenge for the world to judge his presidency in a disinterested manner. The Republican Party's 'Obama = Celebrity' ad worked, in part, because there was some truth in it.

Of course, the fact that it was nasty, paranoid & racist gave it a little help, too. God bless the GOP!