The YouTube President

As a candidate, Obama promised to drag the presidency into the 21st century. Twitter, blogs, and YouTube videos would be the new tools of presidential communication.

Shifting White House strategy is one thing. Changing consumer habits is another. Our sample of the most and least viewed White House videos suggests that Americans may be too busy watching funny clips about funny animals to give their undivided web attention to the President. After garnering a huge audience for his Inaugural address, Obama's internet viewership has plummeted. Now, the weekly addresses fluctuate between 100,000 and 250,000 views. That's not nothing, but it's hardly blockbuster by YouTube standards.

The White House can read the ratings as well as anyone. A recently posted video of the Obama family dog had six times as many hits as Obama's major policy speech on Iraq. In the next hundred days, watch out for some well-timed White House kittens. --Chris Van Buren