With President Barack Obama having been a resident of Illinois along with representing it as a state legislator and later U.S. Senator, as well as being an African American, it is understandable that he would feel a deep and abiding identification to Abraham Lincoln.

While the sentiment expressed by Lincoln in working with his rivals and seeking bipartisan support was laudable, Obama's historical parallel is much closer to that of popular twentieth century President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a member of Obama's own party.

While Lincoln was the nation's chief executive during America's bloodiest, most costly human conflict, the Civil War, it was Roosevelt who assumed power when America was caught in the biting grip of the Great Depression and a horrific economic reality when one in every four Americans was unemployed.

Like Roosevelt, Obama possesses superior communicative talents.  Roosevelt was America's first president to master the national medium of radio through indulging in a folksy manner and being considered the nation's good neighbor as well as leader when he was invited into its homes during his informative pep talks to the nation through his historic fireside chats.

What a team to parade around with, the brewery distribution heiress and the Bush voting clone.

Just another soccer mom and your average Joe, along with the ideal couple (a man who divorced his wife after she was disabled in an accident, and the blonde brewery heiress to a $100 million fortune).

Just the type of average people that the average American can relate to naturally.

The average soccer mom-governor, with five kids who enjoys moose hunting, kill and cook expeditions.  All this between loyally appointing one's friends to vital Alaskan government positions.  After all, what are friends for?  

When a political party sinks in a quicksand there are signs indicating that the ultimate act is at hand.

One familiar sign, similar to the uncle heading toward oblivion in the attic, is that of denial over what is happening, and what is obvious to others.  The McCain Ohio rally yesterday was symbolic with John McCain looking and sounding totally removed from reality as, amid more scheduling chaos, he was unaware that his intended co-star of the day was nowhere to be seen:

"Joe the Plumber, Joe, where are you, Joe?"

When Joe was nowhere to be found a startled McCain adlibbed, "You're all Joe the Plumber!"

Figure it as a manifestation of human psychology.  About the time that you feel obliged to name your campaign bus the "straight talk express" figure on fraud being an active agent in that individual's operating process.

From the time that "Joe the Plumber" surged on the scene many of us were extremely skeptical.  

One got the feeling from watching Barack Obama with patient courtesy responding to the inquiry from a man who, as it turned out, is not a licensed plumber, is not in a position to buy his employer's business, would not be anywhere close to the threshold of any federal tax hike even if he did, has donated campaign money to McCain and has a federal tax lien against him, that the alleged "man on the street" was a plant.

The body language was unconvincing.  Joe seemed tenuous and his performance appeared stagy as in managed.  After monopolizing a significant amount of Obama's time, an impatient hush could be heard coming over the group of Obama supporters.  One got the distinct feeling that many were skeptical of Joe.

Note: The cartoon is the logo of the real Joe the Plumber in Amarillo. Send him some business, I'm told that he's an Obama guy. If his website takes off because of all this attention maybe he can switch from actual plumbing to an online plumbing advice column. Bob

The month began with Sarah Palin celebrating her campaign's close identification and long association with "Joe Six Pack," the mythic every man vision of America that he and they dream that they represent.

Then in last night's "debate" came "Joe the Plumber," a guy who claims that he wants to buy a business which "makes" 250k a year and he's worried about Obama's tax policies. Who's next, Joe Bananas, Joe Cool, Joe Mama?

Forgetting for the moment that I have strong suspicions that "Joe the Plumber" is a ringer. Yes, nefarious as it sounds I'm afraid that Joe may be, a not too carefully selected, and poorly rehearsed plant from the McCain camp. He was probably chosen by the same group of desperately drunken political geniuses who trotted out Sarah Palin.