I caught about five minutes of Barack Obama's lackluster Q+A on the MySpace/MTV Forum tonight. People really want to believe that this guy is all that, don't they? He's probably a quarter to a third that, but not all that. Not by a long shot. I don't see it at all, myself.

I think he may become a victim in the end of unrealistic expectations, something that simply can't be said of any of the other candidates, who could actually use some unrealistic expectations at this point. Of course, you'll always have your true believers, your Obama Zombies, but whether they will be able to eat enough of the rest of our brains to capture the nomination for their candidate is another question.

There were a lot of them out to hear Governor Patrick's endorsement last Tuesday. Déjà vu all over again. I was down around the Common Tuesday night, too, having just come from Neptune in the North End.  But I got no further than the Orpheum, where Kelly Clarkson was playing! Couldn't pass that up.

In the segment of the Obamarama I caught on MTV, he kept trying to crack wise in the Clintonian style, but most of his cracks fell flat and I saw no evidence of that inspirational oratory he's supposed to be known for.  I'm not particularly moved by his shrill insistence on hope and his constant stating of the obvious when it comes to change.  Like that's a Big Idea. 

But it's MTV. And Obama's burden is actually greater in a way than John Edwards' was when he appeared before the Youth Tribunal. Because John Edwards in the end is John Edwards. Nobody expects him to be the second coming of JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. rolled into one.

And Hillary, too, is Hillary. Hillary is the second coming of Hillary.

So Obama has some unique challenges. Being Obama is only one. Being everything to everybody is another big one. He failed pretty miserably at the big Obama Gospel Concert in South Carolina last night, which turned into an ad for ex-gay gospel star Donnie McClurkin.

The last half-hour of the concert was a rousing ad for Christ as The Cure for Homosexuality.

“God delivered me from homosexuality,” McClurkin declared. He then told the audience to believe the Bible over the blogs: “God is the only way.” The crowd sang and clapped along in full support.

Obama's campaign was apparently caught off-guard:

The campaign has tried to turn the situation into a demonstration of the candidate’s big-tent acceptance. It did bring together some supporters from the gay community and the black religious community who wrote a joint letter a few days ago saying that Mr. McClurkin’s statements had been “deeply hurtful and offensive to many Americans, most especially gay Americans.”

At the same time, it said, “a great many African Americans share Pastor McClurkin’s beliefs” and “their religion prevents them from fully embracing their gay brothers and sisters.” It lauded Mr. Obama “who speaks truth in love to both sides.”

Hmm. "Truth in love to both sides." I guess that could go over with Amadinijad. Maybe President Obama could appoint Donnie McClurkin ambassador to Iran.