Having Oprah Is Better Than Babs

Pollsters tell us that celebrity endorsements rarely do much for presidential candidates. But John Zogby says that Oprah Winfrey's backing of Sen. Barack Obama is much different. "Generally, they don't help," he says of celebs. "This is a sort of different thing with Oprah," adds Zogby, "because she bonds with the heart."

And, he says, it helps that she's joining Obama on the campaign trail as he ascends the polls. Otherwise it would look like a desperation play, says Zogby. As for the other celebrity endorsements this year--Barbra Streisand for Sen. Hillary Clinton and Chuck Norris for Mike Huckabee--Zogby shrugs. One thing for sure, though: "Oprah beats Babs in Iowa."

By Paul Bedard