VENICE, CA — Candidate Barak Obama’s afro was stolen here today in a sign that the 2008 presidential campaign has grown increasingly hairy–after its recent lipsticky phase.

“You may boost a brother’s do-rag,” said Obama supporter, 50 Cent. “You do not steal his ‘fro.”

The stolen ‘fro in question belonged to the candidate’s likeness on a poster hung outside local hair salon Trim. A re-imagining of artist Shepard Fairey’s ubiquitous Obama sticker, the now-missing poster depicts the candidate with a large, blue (natch) ‘fro. Police are treating the salon’s name as an important clue in the poster’s disappearance.

“How dare a hair salon featuring a poster of Obama’s black Muslim power terrorist hairstyle call itself ‘Trim’,” McCain spokesman Rick Davis said, in an angry email to reporters.

“It’s a direct insult to Governor Sarah Palin since she’s a woman and, judging from war hero John McCain’s looks in the You Tube video where he’s ogling her backside, he could use a little trim.”

Police have identified Republican operative Karl Rove as a person of interest in the theft, largely because, in his most recent FOX News appearance, he was sporting a new “white person ‘fro” akin to that sported by fellow disgraced human, Phil Specter. That, or a very fat Goldilocks.

“The McCain campaign is obviously desperate,” said renowned Venice hairstylist, thebradmiskell. “I mean, sending Karl Rove here looking for Trim (to steal their poster) before high-tailing it to Hair Club for Men–it just reeks of Bush.”

Trim’s owner, Nicholle Roybal, is offering a reward for information leading to the return of Trim’s Obama-with-’fro poster. Email Trim for, or better–with–information about the stolen poster’s wherabouts.