A friend brought me a pack of topps® Obama trading cards which, considering that everything, and I do mean everything seems to be branded with Obama's image, is only unique in that these cards are the inaugural edition. I'm guessing that if things work out for Topps®, then there might even be a second, Presidential edition.
We love trading cards. But they seem to have to expanded into all realms of popular culture. I remember as we were preparing to invaded Iraq, a well-place mole from the Bush administration must have talked someone at Topps° into introducing Freedom Cards. These were a series of cards about top Bush Administration officials and high-ranking members of the military. Government propaganda designed to appeal to 13-year teenage boys and repressed Republicans (how do you tell them apart?). There was no card of Bush with a puppy in this deck but there was one of 43 in a flight suit looking stern.
The Topps® Obama cards have some super secret cards inserted, including a high school basketball card (I wonder if they photo-shopped a 44 on his jersey) and a presidential pup redemption card. The pup card is the hardest card of all to get (odds are 1 in 384) and its existence begs the question? What the hell is presidential pup redemption? Find the card, get a free puppy? Find the card and you can take it to the White House for free entry for you and your puppy? A certificate to have your dog spayed or neutered? A free rabies and distemper vaccine?
The most bizzare set of trading ever given to me was a deck of Kennedy Assassination cards. These included Never before released autospy images! and for obvious reasons, were difficult to trade if not to even examine.