I confess I love popping all over the iTunes Store. On the home page today, they were plugging a new single by Jordin Sparks, a recent American Idol. Click through to that, and they're featuring an "i-Tunes Essentials" playlist called "Hope & Change."

For the iPod-less, there are many playlists that are created by users, but the "Essentials" lists are made by Apple. It says it was posted April 28, but sounds like it was posted January 20. See the goopy Obama-loving text that came with the songs:

Welcome to the beginning of a new era in the U.S. – Barack Obama's history-making win is really a victory for all those who keep the faith and firmly believe that people have the power to make a change. John Lennon was one of rock ‘n' roll's most determined dreamers, and the better world he dared to "Imagine" may finally be within our grasp. ["Imagine there's no Heaven," and Obama makes it happen?]

Obama's goose-bump-inducing victory speech on election night referenced Sam Cooke's dare-to-dream statement "A Change Is Gonna Come," envisioning a future where spirit plus soul equals a brand new day – just the kind Bruce Springsteen started planning for in the wake of 9/11, when he forged his anthem "The Rising."

Dig in as the work begins on a brighter future in Next Steps.

"Next Steps" is a second playlist, and "Deep Cuts" is a third. They're often 25 songs each. You can buy them for your i-Pod by the whole playlist, if you wish. This list came under the "My Groove" catalogue, which Apple describes this way:

Sometimes you're looking for great music to fit a particular mood or occasion. Maybe you want suggestions for that perfect soundtrack to Valentine's Day, or killer music to inspire you through a Total Workout at the gym. With My Groove, we offer our choices for the best music to fit the mood or mark the occasion.

So "Hope & Change" is Apple's choices to mark the occasion of Obama's election, inauguration, or maybe the first 100 days. They clearly don't imagine there's anyone on iTunes who wouldn't consider that a cause for celebration. Most of the songs are hope songs, and not that strongly political. ("I Can See Clearly Now" isn't exactly a political anthem.)

There aren't any explicit Obama songs, like "Barack Obama" by Cocoa Tea, a jaunty reggae song.

Another sign of Apple's internal politics: in the My Groove section there are five "Essentials" playlists for Gay Pride, and even one called "Out for the Holidays," for a very gay Christmas.

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.