With his in-game ad-buy on XBox Live, Obama is bucking the Democratic Party's history of maligning video games and reaching out to a 21st century American constituency.

Perhaps spooked into action by the fact that a bill that overhauls the U.S. financial system and fundamentally recenters the balance of power in D.C. is shorter than my shopping list, Micah Sifry looks at how the left, right, and center are gearing up online to challenge the $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan; After a hard-hitting video popped up on YouTube that tied Sarah Palin to the Alaskan Independence Party, the Jawa Report and other conservative blogs traced it back to an employee at a PR shop with Democratic ties; Don't get mad, get a webcam. That age-old political tactic of stealing your opponent's signage has gotten a digital upgrade; and a great deal more.

John McCain's campaign release of the online game "Pork Invaders," as a Facebook application, wasn't a game changer but a prelude of future message strategy. Video games will be added to the multitude of political channels that a political campaign must have a presence on. Microsoft has now announced what could become the "YouTube" of video games -- Xbox LIVE Community Games.