It’s no accident that the president’s change of heart happened to make for a perfect sound bite. Nearly as fast as Barack Obama, leader of the free world, could utter the words “Same-sex couples should be able to get married,” to ABC News correspondent Robin Roberts, @barackobama — the president’s not-nearly-as-popular-as@JustinBieber Twitter account — was announcing “Same-sex couples should be able to get married.” As of Thursday morning, it had been retweeted over 56,000 times and counting.

And just like that, what had been a fuzzy campaign issue for Obama just a week ago became a defiant stance – and an easily forwarded post. The president’s Twitter and Facebook accounts wasted no time issuing a photo of Obama with his statement, under the heading, “history.” The campaign’s main page itself immediately splashed up the quote, along with the ABC News clip and the invitation to “stand up with the president.” And the campaign’s colorful, friendly-looking poster stating that “Every single American/Gay Straight Lesbian Bisexual Transgender/Deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society/It’s a pretty simple proposition” popped into a place of honor on the Obama Pinterest and Instagram pages.

Elections can turn on a few provocative words – from “Read my lips” to “It’s the economy, stupid” to, simply, “Hope.” But there’s never been a time when a single sentiment could be parroted across so many different platforms. The Obama campaign knows this, and has shrewdly seized upon the immediate, visceral reaction that one sentence can inspire with impressive immediacy. Watch and learn, Romney. Though we’ve yet to see how the president’s “evolved” stance will shake out into real votes in November, for now, it sure makes for a whole lot of likes and pins. Whatever happens next, Obama’s won Twitter.

It wasn’t the first time Obama has demonstrated that he has some basic signing skills – he similarly delighted the blogging community four years ago when he signed to a fan on the campaign trail. But his latest interaction was both a lovely moment of bonding and empathy and a swell reminder to all of us of the stunning power of being able to communicate, even a little, in another language.

Gibbs’ first wish — to go viral — has already come true. Within 24 hours, Gibbs’ video had over 200,000 hits. It’s now surged well past a million. And after Gibbs mentioned Dr. Phil in his video, the show reached out to him and is reportedly paying a visit to his home Wednesday.

The rapidity with which a sincere, life-or-death request for help can be met by the global community is heartening. In addition to Dr. Phil’s response, Gibbs received an offer of assistance from “transformation specialist” Chris Powell this past weekend. Gibbs has also been deluged with advice and supportive response messages, including a deeply heartfelt video from YouTube heavyweight Boogie2988, who tells him, “You’re inspiring me …You’re making a good decision and you’re making a healthy choice … May you get everything you want.”

But can the Internet truly save a man’s life? And is going viral now the go-to solution to a seemingly insurmountable crisis? Gibbs is already declining to be interviewed because of a claimed “exclusivity agreement with ‘Dr. Phil,’” a trust you can only hope the show will treat honorably. He has also opened himself up to the kind of vicious, evil, “fat people deserve to die” trolling upon which YouTube was built. So what happens when Dr. Phil or Chris Powell pack up their TV cameras and the television advice-givers and the social media support system move on to the next thing? You’ve got to wince at the sustained cruelty the man — who says he has diabetes, sores all over his body, is on disability and believes he has depression — is in for.

Maybe Gibbs will fare as well as the “golden voiced” Ted Williams, who after a few setbacks and false starts is now, a year after he was discovered panhandling in Ohio, working steadily and has a roof over his head. Or he may become another victim of an insatiable, novelty-seeking public and the opportunism of daytime talk. But what’s certain is that this isn’t a story about losing weight. It’s about something much bigger. Robert Gibbs did not become morbidly obese overnight. A man who’s been hospitalized in the past needs more than mere diet or encouragement.

Gibbs says in his video, “For everyone that’s going to make fun of me, I really don’t care. This is my last chance, my last hope. I’m really scared that I’m not going to watch my niece and nephew grow up and I’m never going to have a family of my own. I’ve never had a life.” That’s why it’s hard to watch Robert Gibbs, even as millions of us continue to do just that. He’s a fellow human being in pain, asking us to look past his exterior and truly see him. Asking us to do what he says he can’t do for himself: to save him.

Speaking in BusinessWeek this week, FBI Special Agent David Chaves revealed that the spot grew out of the FBI’s desire to call attention to their Martha Stewart-sounding “Perfect Hedge” initiative, and to make clear that they still wear the pants, enforcement-wise. “At one point it was reported that the SEC was arresting people,” Chaves said. “That’s when I took the position that we need to be clear on what’s going on.” And who could the FBI recruit to hammer home the message? “I thought there was only one person to do it,” said Chaves: the guy who played ultimate insider douchebag himself.

It’s a noble effort — and a well-timed attempt at public relations — in a recessionary year, one in which the words “Wall Street” have become synonymous with “occupy.” It’s a chance for the U.S. government to look like the good guys, as opposed to just those corporate butt-kissers. But it’s also amusing to see an actor explain that one of his old movies is in fact fiction. I’d like to see Al Pacino working for the Drug Enforcement Authority, explaining that he isn’t a Cuban coke lord. Or Harrison Ford saying that he isn’t really a replicant – OR IS HE?

Douglas, for his part, says the subtleties of the original film seem to have been lost on the cineastes of the financial world. The Times reports that “Mr. Douglas would receive high-fives and handshakes from real-life traders and bankers when he walked the streets of Manhattan.” And now Douglas would like to remind them that just like their hero, they can go to jail.

The bucket list, after all, existed long before that Morgan Freeman movie made it a thing four years ago. Wistful goal-setting is as old as New Year’s morning, as classic as a Gustave Nadaud poem. In 2003, Patricia Schultz scored a hit with her list of “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.” And the “Why you need to do something unspeakable in Vegas and also join the Peace Corps” story is reliable magazine fodder. Chang, the artist, even launched a similar “Before I die” wall in her home town of New Orleans earlier this year. We’re all here for a limited time, and we all have stuff we want to do before the great DJ fires up the Donna Summer one last time. We move swiftly from the invincible dreams of youth to the “better get my butt in gear” crises of midlife, ever fueled by the drive to make the most of whatever we’ve got.

Since being diagnosed with a cancer that has a crappy five-year survival rate, I’ve cranked up the bucket listing to Tim McGraw-anthem levels. I’ve gone to the Rockies and to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I’ve visited friends I hadn’t seen in years. I’ve played laser tag. It’s been awesome. But I highly recommend not waiting to get cancer to fill in your own ending to the sentence “Before I die, I want to…” Just set about doing it.

But be prepared — you might discover a few things you hadn’t imagined cropping up on the list. Funny things happen when you go about living like you’re dying – which, I have to break it to you, we all are. Sure, I’ve watched the Roller Derby championship in Chicago and scarfed whiskey brownies in New Orleans, but I’ve learned how many eminently achievable desires were on that seemingly imposing must-do list. I’ve dropped my dead-weight relationships. I’ve slept in later. I’ve watched “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” again. Fulfillment doesn’t just come from chasing waterfalls in Costa Rica (though I’ve done that, too). Sometimes you realize that if this were your last day on earth, you’d tell your friends how deeply you love them. And sometimes you realize — as Andy did on a recent “Parks and Recreation” — that priority one is to “make the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich ever.”

That’s why the bucket list has such universal appeal. It’s not just the way that it grants permission to send a wish out to the universe. It’s not just that it can be the first step in a fantastic adventure. As Chang says, it’s “a reminder to ourselves of what is most important to us.” As Chang’s walls prove, that priority can be a longshot like “becoming president,” a wish as ephemeral as “make Mom proud” or a desire as simple as “dance.” There’s joy in affirming that we are simultaneously so very big and so very small, that having a great life isn’t always about having a big life. Next year, I’m going to the Grand Canyon for the first time. But tonight, I’m crawling into my pajamas and intend to be tucked in bed by 10 p.m. Because before I die, I am living the dream.