Politics: Suddenly Better Than Sex?

Sex. Just about everyone likes having it, and even if they prefer not to talk about it, chances are they still think about it. And so, as they say, sex sells. But move over, love-making, there's a new hot topic in town: the 2008 presidential election. Perhaps most telling of all is that People and US Weekly now cover the mundane doings of our foremost politicians ("Hillary Clinton: My Worst Outfits Ever!" and "Barack Obama: Is He Really Just Like Us?," for example) in the same lusty manner once devoted to movie stars:

"People are craving it," said Larry Hackett, People's managing editor. "They are really, really interested in what's going on, and so we're covering it more than ever."

Behold the symbiotic relationship that has developed between the campaigns and the entertainment press. Some of the most celebrity-centric, entertainment-obsessed news media outlets have added a heavy dose of political news to their lineups, taking space normally devoted to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and handing it to articles on people known more for wonkiness than sexiness.

And the candidates have batted their eyelashes back, obligingly granting interviews, posing for pictures and writing personal essays.

Campaign aides say that they can usually count on a soft, friendly chat conducted by reporters or television hosts who are unlikely to hit them with questions about the Iraq war, while at the same time reaching crucial younger female voters.

Keep reading the New York Times story.

Us Weekly's coverage of the candidates.

It doesn't hurt that one of the candidates inspires a passion normally reserved for private acts. Behold: The O-Bama Face.

Which topic do you find more interesting: sex or politics? And who's hotter: Clinton or Obama?