I became acquainted with the peculiar co-dependency between politicians and cameras when I covered my first presidential campaign. The candidate one day abruptly changed plans. Instead of a press conference set against what was supposed to be a picture-perfect backdrop, Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis would instead meet reporters at a hotel for a briefing allowing pads and pencils only. The TV crews revolted. Some refused to attend. "As far as I'm concerned, if it didn't happen on camera, it didn't happen," an NBC man groused. But what if it happened on camera, and still wasn't really real? What if the...