What's With the Fake Southern Accent?

I hate phonies. Even more than phonies, I HATE fake southern accents. Maybe it's because I am a G.R.I.T. (Girl Raised in the South) and have a genuine southern accent. Much has been made about Hillary's extremely faux southern accent, but I haven't heard anything about Obama's adoption of a southern accent.

Here's a video of Obama speaking at the 2004 DNC Convention. Note the complete lack of a southern accent....




Now here's a clip of Obama speaking in Selma AL in March 2007. Listen to the difference in the accent...



Hmm - Minor quibble I know. But look at the bigger picture. If you are willing to fake a southern accent, what else are you willing to fake? And what does that say about a person's character? Or maybe that's what he means when he talks about "change"...