Nowhere worships celebrity like America, and so racking up celebrity cred is key to courting the voting mortals in any US election. Because, like, you know, who knows what’s best for the country better than like, Britney? Or Brad? Totally. Seriously though, celebrities make powerful allies with their ability to pull crowds to rallies and drum up fundraising frenzies, setting the stage for candidates to lay on the charm and pad out the ballot boxes.

There’s no denying that Obama is a celebrity in and of himself. He’s been compared to JFK, portrayed as a shining beacon of hope for ‘youth today’, and been the subject of countless biographies, youtube tributes and schoolgirl crushes. But there’s nothing that defines celebrity like being welcomed to its world by some of its most prominent citizens. Enter Oprah, the cult force that turns comment to commercial, cultural- and now possibly political- gold. As Obama’s campaign was warming up, the mighty Oprah stepped in and elevated him from Illinois senator to national necessity with the claim: ‘America NEEDS Barack Obama!!!’

Besides drawing attention to him, an Oprah trading scheme was established where prime seats that Oprah attended Obama rallies were given in exchange for volunteer time to the campaign. A prime example of celebrity capital. Other outspoken celebs flying the Obama flag include The Black Eyed Peas, Scarlette Johansson, George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Brangelina, Usher, The Kennedy clan and even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s wife Maria Shriver. The ‘Yes we can’ Obama video featuring some of these celebrities among others, is currently sitting at number one on the Youtube downloads list. Its producer Fred Goldrig told Time: "We're still hearing back from folks asking if we'll do another one. This is amazing; it's unlike any other campaign I've ever seen. It's a movement."

This presents a strong competition for camp Clinton, whose celeb portfolio includes Barbara Streisand, Jack Nicholson. Magic Johnson and Fran Drescher, but is missing the drive of team Obama. McCain standouts include Arnold Schwarzenneger, Heidi Montag, Sylvester Stallone and Nancy Reagan. But again, none are playing as big a part as those supporting the mighty O. And yes, I’m referring to both Oprah and Obama here. Time will tell if Obama’s celebrity momentum can propel him to the White House, but if Oprah’s input in the New York Times best sellers list is any indication, it’ll be smoother than subliminal product placement. And make a nice transition to President Winfrey 2012.