A Funny Thing Happened Tonight At Target.

As I was heading towards the registers at Target, a book in the children's section caught my eye, so I picked it up and flipped through it.

The book was: Barack by Jonah Winter and A. G. Ford

I make no illusions about being a fan of Obama's - in that, I am not one - but the books written by or about him I generally have no problem with. There are a ton of political books every year, about everyone in politics, and Obama will be no different. Republicans will generally not like him, Democrats will generally like him, and the books will probably move towards further and further ends of the spectrum as his time in office draws out. There's nothing terribly surprising or alarming about that.

This book is different somehow, though. The tone of the book, for one thing, is just... odd. It very much reads like hero worship, which is weird already for a guy that hasn't even taken office or performed a single official act as President yet, but to have it in a children's book is actually sort of unsettling.

Upon first seeing the book I said it was propaganda, and at the time I meant it partially as a joke, but as I thinking about it more I think that's more accurate than I realized at the time. Why do we need books for children telling them that our new President is "lovable" (and yes, that is a direct quote from the book)? Why are we trying to influence the views children will have about a President, instead of reading them books about talking trains or brothers that solve mysteries with their detective father?

Putting the propaganda aspect of it aside for a moment, I have to wonder why we can't just let them be kids? Understand that, were I to come across a book called "W." that was about how "lovable" Bush is, I'd feel the same way, simply because I think a political figure, and especially one who has done literally nothing as President yet, is not someone kids should be looking up to.

But then you add in the fact that is, it seems, making Obama out to be the best guy that ever there was, and itends this message to be presented, without argument to the contrary, to children along side books telling them to always share and never hit and such, and propaganda seems like a really good word for it.