I have to agree with you. How in the world did we get such a pathetic loser as Barry in the highest office in teh world. If there aren’t powerful people pushing things behind the scenes, the what else happened? I’m not a conspiracy nut, but nothing else explains it.
Very important point. Not in living memory has a president been so conspicuously unintelligent as BHO. (Bush II? C'mon; his poor speaking skills and folksy demeanor were obviously an act, almost as much of an act as BHO's polished publicity.) So there is plenty of reason to believe that BHO's presidency was planned many years in advance by forces higher than himself, even if this has never been the case on such a large scale.
Money clearly played a huge role in it, arguably huger than in any previous election. Not that money hasn't always played a large role, and not that bribes, racketeering and outright electioneering fraud haven't been tried before and with success (c.f. 1960, JFK vs. Nixon--another incompetent disaster hoisted onto the American people courtesy the Chicago Machine! BHO and JFK are alike in many many ways) but never has the sheer volume of money been so awesome as it was in 2008.