Flickr: Creative Commons by tastybit

My 4-year-old son, Devon, loves Presidential candidate Barack Obama. He displays the type of admiration for the Democratic Senator that his pre-kindergarten peers reserve for more age appropriate heroes (such as Dan Zanes, the Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana). Devon likes the way Senator Obama looks, he likes the way Senator Obama talks, but he especially likes the way Senator Obama tastes… Yes, "tastes."

You see recently, while engaging in a bit of wanderlust on Manhattan’s Lower West Side, we visited a small bakery inside Chelsea Market called Eleni’s. Known for its delectable confections, such as Red Velvet nonpareils and Chocolate Chunk Walnut brownies, my wife, Liza, was surprised to discover candidate cookies and cupcakes for sale behind the invisible glass of the display case.

Drawn in by the whizbang of decorative toppings, most patrons were blind to the subtle nuances of Eleni’s candidate offerings. Reflecting the general sentiment the rival nominees hold for each other, Eleni’s only offered Obama cupcakes (light, sugary, and full of fluff) and McCain cookies (flat, rough around the edges and a little hard to swallow) on the day we visited.

With Devon in mind, Liza bought a cupcake. And on inspecting the treat, Devon let out a laugh and declared, "Obama!"

Outside the shop the novelty of the cupcake quickly wore off and Devon got down to the business of figuring out whether or not Eleni’s version of Obama was a substantial choice for him. Disregarding Obama’s visage, Devon munched away wholeheartedly.

Nearing the end of his treat, with a schmear of Democratic blue frosting on his nose, Devon found himself wanting more.

"Please may I have another Obama cupcake?" he asked.

“There aren’t any more cupcakes," Liza responded.

"What about cookies?" Devon asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"The McCain cookies?" questioned Liza.

"Yeah, McCain cookies," Devon reasoned. "I’ll bet they taste good too."

We returned to Eleni’s to satisfy Devon’s hunger and curiosity. He took a few labored bites out of a smiling McCain and decided that he could only tolerate so much of the candied outer coating. Handing back the mostly uneaten cookie, Devon again inquired about the Obama cupcakes. But none were available.

"What? They’re all sold out?" questioned a disappointed Devon.

Like the steadily growing majority of Americans supporting Barack Obama, there is one four-year-old who, after getting a personal taste of both nominees, is now resolute in his political choice. "I'm cheering for Obama," Devon likes to say, "because he's gonna be the winner."