Since the vagina replaced melanin as the presidential novelty item du jour, Barack Obama's media omnipresence has become more of a somewhatlessoppresivebutstillprettyomnipresence, or even an ifisntstillomnipresencethenwellfuck.

Politico, however, has found the one medium in which he retains complete, 100% visibility: crossword puzzles…

According to the puzzle database maintained by Cruciverb.com, ever since that game-changing day in 2005, OBAMA has appeared regularly as an answer in New York Times crossword puzzles.

With its wonderfully convenient alternating series of commonly used vowels and consonants, OBAMA has been the answer to the clues "Senator who wrote 'Dreams From My Father,'" "Future senator who delivered the 2004 Democratic convention keynote address" and "Presidential candidate born in Hawaii."

And as for McCain?

Shockingly, not once has MCCAIN been an answer in a crossword in the New York Times, The Washington Post or the Los Angeles Times. No MCCAIN, no JOHNMCCAIN, no SENATORMCCAIN, not even his most recent sobriquet, the presidential-sounding JOHNSMCCAINIII.

Now lest rolled-up newspaper/mechanical pencil-wielding Republicans in ever subway, bus and airport men's room in America start rising up in open rebellion, it should be noted that neither "Barack," nor "Obama," has ever appeared in a game of Su Doku, while John McCain's prisoner ID, "274391856," appears in almost every puzzle.