Sure, YouTube and Facebook have already delved into the world of politics with streaming debates and interviews, but this was the first time a President has interacted with people via social media to this intimate degree.
Interspersed among the many reports and interviews about the threat of Iraqi chemical warfare have been occasional stories concerning the bitter debates this danger has inspired in Israel.
One of my most interesting recent interviews was with a professor of political communication, Kathleen Jamieson, who made the point that while debates only occasionally change minds, they do leave voters much better informed.