Politicians as celebrities

The line between politics and entertainment has never been so thin.  If you can vote for candidates on American Idol, why not look at politicians as entertainers too?  President Obama, I think, actively seeks out venues for presenting himself that are typical celebrity outlets--People Magazine, the morning show on NBC, etc.  Bill Clinton's biggest media splash was when he appeared on the Arsenio Hall show wearing sunglasses and playing a few notes on his sax (he also was interviewed on MTV and was asked if he wore boxers or shorts [boxers]).  If this is a culture of celebrity, it makes sense to exploit people's interest in the "person behind the role".  Here's an interesting article on this topic:
 
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7873070275950175057