I’m working on a piece about how Obama has a certain postmodern streak to him — his obsession with the power of words, his refusal to be held accountable to inconvenient, yet accurate, interpretations of his own texts, etc. But it occurred to me that the whole campaign has a literary quality to it. Obviously, every campaign wants to tell a story, provide a “narrative.” But with Obama there seems to be an added layer to it. That Berlin spectacle, for example, seemed like an awfully silly thing for him to do, particularly if he had his way as originally planned and spoke at Brandeburg Gate a la Kennedy and Reagan. But it’s less silly if you understand the theory behind it. That spectacle was intended to offer a coming attractions of his presidency, like a movie trailer. The Obama campaign is not much interested in focusing on issues — it’s no doubt copious position papers notwithstanding. It is about aesthetics, emotions, impressions, the sense of being swept up in something. It’s the perfect product for YouTube culture. “Have you seen the latest Obama video?” Of course you have, the whole campaign is a YouTube video. The Berlin speech wasn’t an attempt to make himself look like a plausible Commander in Chief so much as it was a way to tease Americans that even more excitement is coming. This is what the movie will look like, and you can see it if you just buy a ticket in November.