One of the most amusing things about the Clinton-Obama primary season was watching Bill-n-Hill's outrage at the upstart Obama besting them at their own say-anything game. And, like the Clinton's of yore, it worked for Obama. Obama played dirty and any hit back was protested with pained charges of racism.

Obama is doing the same thing with McCain and Palin. Palin, especially, is handling Obama's sly game well. But it does serve a purpose to look at the greater character of the man, for as his tactical predecessor Bill Clinton demonstrated, this propensity to "play" the opposition, and really the American people, reveals a narcissism and contempt for Americans that can lead to troublesome behavior. This behavior reminds me of the high school hot jock: he treats his girlfriend like dirt because she's dumb enough to dig him when it's obvious he's a player and everyone paying attention knows it. Obama shows a disturbing level of contempt for the American people.

Jennifer Rubin says in her article "Hypocrisy Doesn't Even Begin To Describe It":

But more than hypocrisy is at work here. It is not just far Left, American-hating radicals he now disowns. You get the sense that he believes everyone can be played. Rashid Khalidi can believe that Obama finds no one suffers more than the Palestinians. Jews can buy that he was moved by the Holocaust from a summer camp experience. Voters in his Congressional race in 1990 can be told that there is no difference ideologically between him and 100% ADA-rated Bobby Rush, but the rest of the state in 2004 (and eventually the country) can buy that he's a post-partisan reformer. Terrorists come to believe he shares their scorn for America, but Iowa voters hear him talk about his appreciation that only in America could his story have happened. Primary voters in Ohio are coddled with protectionist promises - and then privately scorned while he is talking to San Fransciso liberal donors.

There is no end to it -- everyone gets the version of Obama that perfectly fits his own world view. It is not hypocrisy. It's fraud. Whatever he told or shared with Ayers, Dohrn, Wright, or Pfleger counts for no more that what he told or shared with other now inconvenient groups and individuals. He's sold the same piece of political real estate to multiple buyers for multiple, conflicting uses.

So Obama's ACORN affiliations can be ignored and the implications for what this affiliation means as president is off limits. And so far, the press has colluded with Obama.

It will be interesting to see if the press starts honestly reporting to inoculate themselves against the blame should Obama win the presidency and turn out to have played them, too. In order to be played, there has to be a desire to play. So far, the press has enjoyed the game. As long as they get to be the girlfriend they've been happy. Obama is just that good.

Cross-posted at MelissaClouthier.com