The setting: a river somewhere near Chicago.

A voice, cries from the wilderness : ” Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”

But, it is not John the Baptist…it’s a Chicago real estate developer who enjoys helping politicians buy homes.

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord!,” the real estate developer says again as trumpets blare and angels descend from puffy white clouds sailing through midwestern skies.

“And, ” says the developer, “his name is Obama and he dwells among us. Chant his name aloud…Obama! Obama! Obama!…Say it three times for it represents the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. I sayeth again, Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”

There is little doubt now that Barack Obama is more than a mere presidential candidate.

Obama is the new and improved Christ–a Christ who is about change!

Obama is a force of nature, say some. Obama is like no other human ever to run for President of the United States, argue others. Obama is the ying and the yang; the peanut and the butter; the tea and the sympathy.

Obama is the new Christ for he comes to save our Democratic, Republican and Independent souls. In his eyes, we are all one giant soul! We are not white or black or young or old or dead or alive….In Obama’s eyes, we are a voting mass!

People tear when he enters a room. They say he is greater than them all–forget George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and Abe Lincoln and FDR and JFK and Conan O’Brien. He is Barack Obama and he is the new and improved Christ who can turn water into contributions.

Obama is a cipher upon whom we can project whatever we want him to be: He is white. He is Asian. He is Latino. He is black. He is American Indian. He is Gumby.

He is the new Christ.

And, to the extent that he encourages this, he is also potentially dangerous.

All cults of personality are bad and end badly. And, make no mistake about it, Obama has developed a cult of personality surrounding him.

Barack Obama may very well get the Democratic party nomination; he may even get elected President of the United States.

This country, in 2008, can use an African-American as President; it can use a woman as President; it can use a Latino or Asian as President—heck, it can use just about anyone other than yet another crumpled up old white man.

What this country, in 2008, cannot use is a messiah.

Amen to that.