BARACK OBAMA DOESN̢۪T campaign a day that some news station doesn̢۪t make a specious claim that compares him to some failed presidential candidates.

And there hasn̢۪t been a day since the Iowa caucus that CNN doesn̢۪t mention the wide support he wins among young voters.

Of all Iowa participants in the Democratic caucuses between 18 and 34 years old, more than 60 percent supported Obama.

CNN posits that the youngsters like his message because it̢۪s all about change, and because Obama is fresh. Unfortunately for Obama, the presidential message of change is hardly fresh.

Young voters, for better or worse, are too young to remember Jesse Jackson̢۪s presidential runs of 1984 and 1988, or Pat Buchanan in 1996 or Bill Bradley in 2000.

The new voters Obama attracts might not recognize that John Edwards’ 2004 run was all about change, too, but in the same “cleaning up Washingtonâ€Â paradigm as the current campaign.

Baby boomers, for better or worse, do remember. On the cusp of retirement, the boomers might view with some amount of disdain these mavericks.

In their lifetimes, the boomers remember one Democratic maverick who did make it to the Oval Office. He was also a party outsider who ran a grassroots, populist campaign not too long after a wildly unpopular Republican president.

“My name is Jimmy Carter, and I’m running for president.â€Â

His presidency, though well-intentioned, collapsed under public criticism. Record-high oil prices, if adjusted for inflation — then, an even bigger issue — still exceed today’s prices.

Obama isn’t Carter — Carter never talked so well — but there are distinct similarities. In Carter’s defense, presidents have very little power over the economy, driven more by interest rates, public consumption and net imports.

Obama talks prettily of change and improving foreign relations around the world. Therefore, his fans compare him to John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was assassinated when my mother was in diapers — well before Obama’s youth base was born.

They don̢۪t remember Kennedy, but they̢۪ve heard good things.

In response, his critics — Hillary Clinton, and her campaign — could, and fairly, cast him in the light of Carter, a fellow Democrat. The young don’t remember Carter, so the Clinton Campaign looked for someone else. It probably took a few seconds.

After all, Obama also talks charismatically of uniting the country and wresting control from Washington insiders, as did Republican George W. Bush. Bush was first elected when our freshman class was in middle school — well after Obama’s youth base was born.

Everyone remembers Bush.

Looking at the polls, it doesn̢۪t seem the smear against Obama has worked. If the pundits are as correct now as they were incorrect about New Hampshire, the young, hip, college-age Democrats still like him.

Maybe it̢۪s that there̢۪s a fundamental problem with the criticism. We really can̢۪t compare Obama to any former president, like any presidential candidate.

Quite simply, he hasn̢۪t been elected. He hasn̢۪t even been nominated yet. There̢۪s only so far into the future we can go.

Is it really that important that of the remaining Democrats, Obama undoubtedly talks the prettiest?

The Clinton campaign agrees that this is one freshman senator with a gift for rousing rhetoric, and lately has used change motif. The New York Times drew a similarity to George W. Bush adopting John McCain’s 2000 “straight-talkâ€Â catchphrase.

If you are one of those young, hip Democrats who supports Obama, that̢۪s a vote against Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. Realistically though, a vote for Obama is a vote against Clinton.

Should young, hip Democrats give Obama the benefit of the doubt, or are the issues even that complex? Maybe it̢۪s as simple as voting against Hillary.

We young voters don̢۪t just remember the Bush administration. Some of us also remember the Clinton administration.