NBC Chicago is reporting on the rash of Craigslist ads offering more than just money for tickets to the Obama rally in Grant Park.

Clearly Obama is arousing more than just political passion from these supporters. Is this a healthy trend for American democracy? Is a presidential candidate worth whoring oneself for? Whether or not one approves, one thing is certain: the sexualizing of Obama began early in this process.

Exhibit A: The Original Obama Girl

WARNING: THIS MATERIAL IS ADULT ... BUT SO IS VOTING FOR PRESIDENT.



And now ... the stunning conclusion...

If the latest rumor about Barack isn't enough to shake you, then check out this video of Michelle Obama:

The fallout from the banking crisis only seems to get worse. Now the U.S. Government has injected $125 billion into the 8 largest commercial banks. Are you comfortable with the government owning part of your bank? Should some banks be off-limits?

What about your Spank Bank?

The financial crisis is dominating the news, but the gathering of 192 world leaders at the United Nations in NYC continues. That's a lot of countries -- more than just Iran, Venezuela, and a few other baddies.

New Yorkers have a special welcome for all those countries that don't get all the press. Break out your atlas and enjoy! (Is there a teeny tiny country you'd like to say hello to?)

No, this isn't a swipe at Sarah Palin. It's my interview with Strongman Competitor Gerard Benderoth:

Yes, I'm here at the Democratic National Convention ... in Englewood, CO. Any advice? (More after the video.)


I'm headed to the Pepsi Center in a bit to get my credentials. My thoughts on Biden:

He's a serious, tenacious guy with a stirring biography. And he's charismatic. He had the funniest line in all the debates when he was forced to name his favorite thing about the opponent standing to his left - in this case, Kucinich: "Dennis, the thing I like best about you is your wife." He's good looking, too. Most people don't have HD, so they can't see his hair plugs. (Not being snarky, just realistic.)

The focus on his status as the "poorest" member of the Senate is, of course, totally misguided. The press and many Democrats still haven't figured out that most Americans want to be rich. That Biden is $300,000 in debt is hardly inspiring.

Also his Catholicism, another press obsession, is pretty irrelevant. The constant blather about working-class Catholic voters needing someone like Biden on the ticket is both condescending and just plain off-the-mark. That's because Catholicism isn't really a cultural identity like Judaism. (Filipino-Catholics have as much in common culturally with Irish-Catholics as Aleuts and Aussies.)

Most Catholics who self-identify as Catholic are practicing Catholics -- i.e., their Catholicism is defined doctrinally, not culturally. Most of these self-identified Catholics are likely to take issue with Biden's stand on abortion just as they did with Kerry. In other words, don't expect churchgoing Catholics to move in a big direction for Obama just because "one of them" is on the ticket.

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ON THE PSYCHOANALYTIC FRONT:

Obama's startling introduction of Biden as the "next president" yesterday was more than a slip, make no mistake.



The anxiety Obama must be feeling since McCain's recent surge spilled out in that moment. Biden is meant to shore up the ticket's foreign policy cred (crucial since Russia's invasion of Georgia), yet Obama doesn't want people to think he depends on Biden in the way Bush depends on Cheney. (Biden will be a strong vice-president, yes, but not an above-the-title V.P. like Cheney.)

Likewise Biden's introduction of "Barack America" was a significant slip.



The campaign is still struggling with persistent nasty rumors that Obama isn't really American. Cementing Obama's love of country is high priority, hence the slip.

Or am I just over-therapied?

By the way, has anyone else noticed that spell check recognizes McCain but doesn't recognize Obama?

Advice from Christopher Ciccone, the man who wrote the book on dealing with a bossy older sister:



Do you have a bossy older sister? What advice do you have for a younger sibling like Chris?

A while back I attended the unveiling of the new Olympic team speedo suit in New York. I hid the resulting piece from you because I thought I was kind of annoying in it.

But damn if I'm not going to ride Michael Phelps' glory to greater fame for myself! Enjoy -- or at least watch.



Before you read on, check out my own Olympic medal quest here.

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Did you watch the men's synchronized diving competition last week? Am I the only one who kept forgetting that I was watching a sporting competition? Yes, yes, the divers are tremendous athletes -- I'm not minimizing their skill. I was certainly rooting for American partners Jevon Tarantino and Chris Colwill.

It just seemed like so much more than diving. That's maybe because the hyper-chatty commentators kept emphasizing how Jevon was Chris' "hand-picked partner" (or was it the other way around?) and how one diver "wouldn't even think about partnering with someone else!" (This as the two are showering together post-dive.) The Canadian pair included one Cuban emigre, which added an extra dimension of drama: No authoritarian regime could keep this duo from diving together.

Oh well, it's nice to know that someone still believes in monogamy. As one friend said to me, "it's like they're swans, mating for life!"

I've just arrived in Chicago and it's late. Early tomorrow I'm interviewing Jerry Springer which should be fun. (Interview will be posted in next few weeks.)

Anyway I was watching the late night Olympics post-mortem hosted by the deep-voiced Mary Carillo (the Lauren Bacall of women sports commentators). She tossed to reporter Andrea Joyce who proceeded to torture gymnast Alicia Sacramone. Sacramone fell off the beam earlier in the night, probably costing the women's team a gold. (They ended up with a silver.) As the girl's eyes welled up, Joyce kept on asking how it felt to fall, if she blamed herself, if she was responsible for the other girls' subsequent sub-par routines. Then she dragged the other girls in and asked them a similar line.

It bordered on sadistic. I half expected the reporter to ask if Alicia was going to do the right thing and perform ritual suicide. Sheesh, it's questionable if these young women should be under this spotlight at all. Rest assured, Sacramone is headed for years of therapy.



Alicia Sacramone can rest easy knowing the average Joe has more trouble walking off a beam than she has walking on one...

Oscar winning actresses Olivia de Havilland (Gone with the Wind, The Heiress) and Joan Fontaine (Rebecca, Suspicion) are sisters who haven't spoken to each in years. Lots of years. How does something like this happen? And more importantly, what can be done to repair it?

I sat down with acclaimed relationship expert Dr. Gilda Carle to explore the topic. More after the video...


As a youngest sibling, I'm inclined to side with younger sister Joan. That is, I was -- until a copy of an email from Joan to Olivia was intercepted by the 180 cyber team.



What do you think of this "outreach"? Seems a little half-hearted. One thing I'll say for Joan, her email handle's a lot cooler than her older sister's. "GoneWithTheOlivia"? Not very 2-time Oscar winner-worthy.

But back to the topic at hand, what do you think? Can these two women who have disliked each other for so long get along? Does it matter at this point? If you think so, what do you suggest?

No question about it, Barack Obama casts a spell. But it's not just average voters - and Germans - who are swooning. Reporters appear to be caught up in the frenzy, too. And that's cause for concern. So what can you do to help?

Here is my interview with New York City Ballet principal dancer Damian Woetzel - the only ballet great who also happens to have a masters from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Continuing with our acclaimed "Something or Something" series, it's an epic religious battle.

Watch and weigh in!

You expressed such interest on the subject of gnarly feet and flip-flops that I had no choice but to hit the streets and investigate further. (This is closer to the street than I've ever come as a reporter.).





The identities of the feet's owners have been protected. Otherwise they never would have agreed to be interviewed.