• Obama-Oprah raises the question: “Can Winfrey do for a political candidate what she did for books?” Only if people can buy candidates without having to actually read them. [WP]
• More reasons we love Karen: “Tumulty says she was stunned at seeing Gore’s remark being turned into a ‘window onto his soul’ in the pages of The New York Times and elsewhere: ‘…it suddenly turns into this big thing that probably continues to dog him for the rest of the campaign.'” [VF]
• Politico takes a straight-faced look at the GOP “brand”: “A successful rebranding takes a neutral environment, says Tony Fabrizio, a Republican advertising expert. Coke managed to restore its image, in part, ‘because Pepsi wasn’t out there attacking them and saying what Coke was saying wasn’t true,’ Fabrizio said. Coke also didn’t have to grapple with a skeptical news media searching for ways to poke holes in the corporate story line, he added.” It’s a little known fact that Coke was, however, also responsible for an unpopular war and the death of thousands of American soldiers! [Politico]
• Bush, playing for October, “To get us in a position where the presidential candidates, will be comfortable about sustaining a presence.” How far will they have to bend over for that to happen, you think? [C&L]
• How many of these Mitt-while-running ads do you think they can do before someone does a “we can make him better, faster, stronger,” mash up? [NYT]
• You’ll be shocked to learn that Bush is a big bully. [Radar]