Obama marketing savvy

For someone so profoundly hostile to free enterprise, Barack Obama sure knows how to exploit capitalist data-mining techniques:

Dear Friend --
Barack Obama is about to make one of the most important
decisions of this campaign -- choosing a running mate. You have helped build this movement from the bottom up, and Barack wants you to be the first to know his choice. Sign up today to be the first to know:
http://my.barackobama.com/vp
You will receive an email the moment Barack makes his decision, or you can text VP to 62262 to receive a text message on your mobile phone. Once you've signed up, please forward this email to your friends, family, and coworkers to let them know about this special opportunity. No other campaign has done this before.
You can be part of this important moment.
Be the first to know who Barack selects as his running mate.
Thanks,
David
David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

This is all about creating a database of contact info for targeting fundraising pitches, etc., and the marketing psychology of creating the sense of connection between the campaign and its supporters. Also, by ensuring that his supporters get their first notice from the campaign itself, Obama cuts the network spinners out of the loop.