By Debbie Schlussel
Will he take credit for the loss when Hillary Rodham Cankles gets the nomination?
That’s not clear, but Black actor Dennis Haysbert–who played President David Palmer on “24,” until he was assassinated–is taking credit for “paving the way” for Obama’s success, thus far:

“As far as the public is concerned, it did open up their minds and their hearts a little bit to the notion that if the right man came along — I do believe Barack Obama is the right man — that a black man could be president of the United States,” Haysbert says in the January 21 issue of TV Guide (on newsstands January 17).

“People on the street would ask me to run for office,” says Haysbert, who was greeted with “Mr. President” by secret service agents, pages and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) during a visit to Washington. “I’d get that reaction around the world when I went to promote the show.”

There may be something to Haysbert’s claim, assuming a lot of “24” fans are also Obama voters, and that’s a steep assumption. On the other hand, I definitely believe that viewers are heavily influenced by TV, which is why–to those of you who always say, “it’s just a show”–pan-Islamist propaganda in so many TV shows is dangerous and annoying.
So, if Barack Obama truly resembles President Palmer–and he doesn’t, as President Palmer was far to the right of Obama on national security and responding to terrorists–then what does that say about Michelle Obama?
Remember First Lady Palmer? . . .
Oh, and I doubt that President David Palmer needed Oprah to get elected. He’d have laughed at the idea.