"And in the Celebrity Game, Novelty is Trump"

This column by Charles Kruathammer sums up why Senator Obama's campaign is imploding as well as anything I've read.

The Worm Is Beginning To Turn

Senator McCain is having remarkable success reaching out to his treasured independents.  Barack Obama would like to convince American voters that John McCain would be a third Bush term.  It won't work.  In a bizarre twist, McCain may well win the presidency by his willingness to criticize the Republican Party for its shortcomings.

With McCain running as a reformer willing to level complaints against his own party, it's no wonder why Senator Obama is getting frustrated.  The presence of Governor Palin on the ticket has surpassed his own celebrity star power.  Senator Obama is like last year's winner of American Idol.  Everyone's mostly tuned into this season and largely forgotten about him.  Meanwhile, the McCain-Palin strategy of running as real agents of reform has drowned out Obama's message.