2008 is turning out to be an intense channel surfing year in US politics. "Change" has become the meme of the moment and in its wake comes a wave of creativity and innovation. In this case reflected in that perfect political medium, video.

If you have 4-10 hours to waste on YouTube or MySpace, then go ahead and lose yourself among the videos created by voters in support of their favorite candidates. Otherwise, I've gone through them for you and come up with my top 5 videos of the 2008 Presidential Primaries season.

5. "Vote Different" or "Hillary Clinton 1984"

Philip de Vellis, aka ParkRidge47, created this video out of serendipity. A web developer, he was working with one of several web consulting firms that were putting together the Senator's online strategy. "Hillary 1984" was made in one afternoon, under cloak of anonymity and without telling his employers. After he was outed and decided to quit his job, he said of his decision to make and disseminate the video : "I made the "Vote Different" ad because I wanted to express my feelings about the Democratic primary, and because I wanted to show that an individual citizen can affect the process."

4. John Edwards Hair Time

John Edwards got a lot of flack for this video. The song used for the parody says it all : "I Feel Pretty". Yet, even though I laughed my head off at first sight, I could completely identify with his mini-obsession : You're ready to get in front of the camera and talk to convince millions of people that your vision of government is the right one to make him our next president. The grooming is almost ritualistic. I actually can see why it may have been a soothing moment for him. After all, being in front of media all the time can be an intense out of body experience. He was just finding a way to get back in and relax.

3. Billiam the Snowman at the CNN/YouTube debate

I actually wanted to include one of the many Ron Paul videos created abou the man. I particularly like "The Ron Paul Song". Yet this particular video encapsulates the ethos of this elections : It's the voters party, and the candidates are just part of the entertainment. Billman supposedly pissed off Mitt Romney so much that he refused until the last minute to participate in a second round of CNN/YouTube debates. Which is why this video rocks. If only because it ruffled the feathers of the politicos ... although look how Kucinich, one of the insurgent candidates, masters the moment and runs with it to push his anti-war message.

2. "Yes We Can" Remix

If you go to YouTube and do a search of Obama, hip hop or Obama rap, you are going to find a cornucopia of original music or remixes of the Senator's campaign speeches. Check out, for example, Obama Gangster Rap. Yet what makes will.I.am's remix unique are two things : (1) The music highlights the innate musicality of the speech and (2) The speech becomes a community connector, a moment in time in which all the different people saying and singing the speech become collaborators in the building of this future they call "Yes We Can". It is truly flawless in reflecting what we are now reckoning with as the new political movement. [For the full text of the speech, go to culturekitchen.com.]

1. Mark Gravel, The Rock

You don't have to be a front runner to make history, yet that's exactly what Mike Gravel has done with this video. This video marks the first time in the history of the United States a presidential hopeful uses performance art in order to push their candidacy. It's not a coincidence since Gravel has demonstrated in all his years as a politician to be a master of media.

Whether it is good or bad performance art, it doesn't matter. I like it because it's as if he is doing one of Andy Warhol's film non-happenings inside of a Bill Viola video. It's mind boggling, creepy, refreshing and funny all at the same time. Oh, and it's also one of the coolest puns ever.

And there you have it : Five videos that capture the collective imagination of the US political animal in this primary year. I honestly can't wait all the stuff people are going to put out for the general elections.