Because the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto has speculated that the Obama campaign may have been staging fainting episodes in which, 1-) A woman faints, 2-) Obama asks for help or gives them water, I find it necessary to analyze the situation, remaining as unbiased as I can, since I am not his supporter.
Taranto cites four episodes in the last 5 months in which not only did a woman faint, but Obama was able to spot her, asking for immediate assistance, in 3 occassions sending a bottle of water to the "damsel in distress".
This, if true, would be reminiscent of Rudy Giuliani's staged phone calls in which his wife Judy Nathan called him several times in the middle of his speeches, for no apparent reason; and also of the embarrassing plants strategically placed in Hillary Clinton's events in order to ask her soft-ball questions.
Let's review the pro's and cons of the theory that these ladies may have been plants.
Cons:
1-) In the WSJ article, 5 fainting instances were cited, but one of them involved men, not women, nor did we see the common picture of Obama promptly and conveniently spotting the victim, offering water; therefore this instance does not add any strength to Taranto's suspicion.
2-)The body heat accumulated in these big crowds can increase the likelihood of fainting.
3-) There is anecdotal evidence that Obama's electrifying oratory skills have been the direct cause of at least one episode of a man feeling a thrill going up his leg, which may be a symptom of fainting.
Pro's:
1-) It's debatable whether a person giving a speech can be able to spot one single fainting person among thousands of people in several occasions. Some would think this is a very big coincidence. The fainted one might be standing in the section behind the speaker.
2-) In these events, a large number of people carry bottles of water. Odds are that in just a few seconds, a good Samaritan will eventually pour or rub water on the victim's face. Obama seemed to believe he was the only person who could have handed this woman water.
Conclusion:
Judging by the weight of the pro's and con's, I believe there is a 50-50 chance that Obama's campaign is telling pre-selected women to "faint" and Barack Obama to assist them.
What's your assessment?