The Temple of Barack setting for Thursday’s speech is getting some attention. This is not a gag thought up by Steve Schmidt–it is real. (Perhaps the Mt. Sinai set was too hard to build.) But really, what in the world are these people thinking?

One big criticism of Obama (for those away in a media-free zone this entire summer) has been that he is an arrogant, presumptuous lightweight–all fanfare and no substance. So the counterweight to that is to stick him in august settings, suggesting he is the Zeus of American politics. Though maybe it’s all supposed to be neo-classical and evoke images of the White House (where the basketball court is already being installed).

And did I mention the rock concert, fireworks, and entrance by elevated platform?ABC dryly comments: “The celebrity-like trappings of Obama’s Thursday’s speech may have given the Republicans new ammo.” Ya think?