'Public Service," Obama Style

Remember when Barack Obama said that encouraging "public service" (i.e. unpaid work for the government) would be the "central cause" of his presidency?

Well, now we know what kind of thing he had in mind. Some of the people who have put in for tickets to Barack's speech in Denver

have been told they need to "volunteer" for the campaign -- for six hours -- in order to be eligible. The deadline? Week's end.

Some have even been told they need to "volunteer" for 12 hours. Obviously, that's pretty difficult for anyone who holds a full time job not in academia. And even for stay at home moms and part time workers, spending 12 hours on Barack's campaign by Friday cuts into the time one has to swing by the market and pick up the arugula.