Smoochie, Smoochie, Smooch, Smooch!

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) announced that its 2009 Magazine Cover Contest will have a new category. For the first time, a winner will be selected in the category of Best Obama Cover along with a variety of other categories such as sports, business, news, nature, etc.

The best in each category will compete for Cover of the Year as determined by voters on Amazon.

It seems to me that including a separate category for Obama goes beyond even the loosest definition of journalism and enters the realm of hero worship or, maybe even, butt-kissing. Readers can make the call.