Hairy News and Views: Are Obama's Gray Hairs Real?

I think it is definitely fair to say that Barack Obama has been slowly, subtly reinventing himself since he won the primaries and became the presumptive Democratic nominee. He has been seeming to move "toward the center" on a variety of issues. He is making an obvious attempt at appearing more "presidential," seeming more earnest, serious and somber. You don't see that big, wide grin on his face too often anymore. When speaking about the recent controversial cover of The New Yorker--the one that satirized he and Michelle Obama as Muslim terrorists-- to Wolf Blitzer he didn't seem to think it was funny. He just basically said, "It's a cartoon, Wolfie, who really cares?" and implied that the New Yorker's attempt at satire was a bit "off the mark". He no longer seems to be the hip. casual, cool "rock star" of only a few months ago and he's doing things like voting FOR the recent FISA bill that are unforgivably "uncool" to some of his progressive supporters. Now he is going to Iraq accompanied by Republican Chuck Hagel, a man whom many leftists say is a "square".

People are also saying that not only is Obama appearing more serious and earnest but that he is also appearing OLD, that his hair has seemed to have gotten more gray as of late. There are even the unscrupulous smear artists who say that this gray hair has been PLANTED upon Obama's head by his campaign hair-stylists, that it is an affectation to get him more votes with the elderly or to steal voters from the ancient and long-gone-white-haired John McCain. Or to simply make him appear more mature and experienced to the general voting public. Will the vicious rumors about Barack never stop? Can we at least recognize Barack's increasing GRAY HAIRS at face value, even if people must still insist that things like his birth certificate and professed Christianity are fake? The campaign for Obama has been extremely long and stressful and it makes sense that those gray hairs are indeed real.