As any of you who read this blog know, I REALLY try to avoid politics. I have no use for it, I think the whole system is screwed up beyond all hope of repair, and in general in response to political things I pull a fast ostrich and stick my head as far into the sand as it will go. Having said that, however, there are still times that something catches my attention and I can't help but stare in morbid fascination, much the same way someone would watch a train wreck or a drowning victim that they had no chance of reaching. There's nothing you can do, it is completely out of your power to help or change anything, and yet you can't seem to look away.  Obama's gay marriage statements are such a thing. I've seen those statements and I have to say, the man is amazing. Not as a political leader, which in my personal opinion he sucks at,  or as a spokesman for gay rights, but as a magician. He has developed political sleight of hand to a fine art. For me, its rather like rap music. I don't like it, but I can appreciate the effort that has gone into it. With one single interview, with ONE statement, he has completely drawn the attention of the entire voting public to something that, in the grand scheme of most people's every day lives, doesn't mean squat. It was a brilliant move and I give him credit for it. Honestly, I suspect he could care less about gay marriage one way or another, but to make that statement meant that EVERYONE is now focused on it. Newsweek has carried coverage, all the news agencies have jumped on it, the right wing republicans have been forced to respond to it..and it has all worked flawlessly to do the one thing it was intended to do. He has managed to take everyone's focus off of the little things like unemployment, rising gas prices, a failing economy...You know, the things that DO affect our every day lives which no politician wants to address because there is no easy fix for it that will keep them popular. So, since the real problems aren't easily fixed and no one in politics has the guts to come out and say "We have NO idea how to fix these problems" instead, with the grace and style of a Vegas stage magician he has deftly made people look at his left hand instead. I give you credit, Sir. You should take your place in history, Not with Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, but with other huge names like P.T. Barnum, Harry Houdini and David Copperfield. You should trade your conservative presidential suit for gold lame and sequins. Truly, you stand with the other great sleight of hand experts and showmen of history. People will stare, fascinated, discussing whether the President is gay, wondering why he made such a controversial statement so close to the elections, while the entire country disappears out from underneath them. Sort of makes all the other great illusions in history seem a little more trivial, doesn't it?