During the last presidential election cycle, a McCain campaign ad titled “The One” mocked the messianic vibe surrounding Barack Obama’s candidacy. “It should be known,” the voice-over began, “that in 2008, the world will be blessed: They will call him ‘The One.’ ” Faced with a tightening race and waning liberal enthusiasm, lately, President Obama is finding out that “One” is the loneliest number.

To get a sense of Obamaphiles’ current mood, I spent the last couple of days slogging through the 60-odd pro-Obama essays posted at “90 Days, 90 Reasons” (the things I do for you people). Dave Eggers, the author of “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” and Jordan Kurland, a band manager, started the project in July in the hopes that they might “re-inspire the grassroots army that got Obama elected in the first place.”