Monday, February 11, 2008  The Obama Cult  Is it time to break
out the Kool-Aid? I think so, and I'm not alone. From First
Things:  A cult can be defined as a tight knit group of people
who devote themselves to a charismatic leader who promises to
solve all their personal or social problems by the power of his
personality. Given that definition, I would argue that the Obama
campaign has all the marks of a cult.  First, Obama promises to
solve the problem of politics. People attracted to his campaign
think that he can transcend the ordinary negotiations and
conflicts of the political realm just by the force of his
powerful optimism. If the political itself is the problem, and
not the various social problems that must be negotiated within
the political arena, then Obama himself is the answer. Somehow,
magically, he will create a new political space that will save
us from having to fight or even disagree with each other. And
politician who promises to put an end to politics must be
subjected to the most stringen