I always have to wonder what politicians think about some of their celebrity endorsements. I’m sure just about everyone would love to get the likes of George Clooney, Oprah, and Tom Hanks on their side. But what must they think when someone like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, or Paris Hilton endorses a candidate? To be fair, I think it’s highly unlikely that any of those particular celebs even know who’s running for president… in fact they might not even be clear on who is currently the president. I’m pretty sure Paris thinks it’s Bush senior, and he’s just been there for a really long time. And while Mariah Carey is no Britney Spears (though they both have had a few public meltdowns), one can’t help but wonder if Barack Obama really wants her endorsement. How does one politely say, “Gee, thanks but no thanks,” to someone like Mimi, without getting a stiletto imprinted somewhere on your backside?

“Are you watching the debates?” asked Yo.

“Clearly I’m no political analyst. We all know that my album is called E=MC2 but I’m not exactly friggin Einstein,” joked the “Love Takes Time” singer. “So basically I like to leave that to people who know what they are talking about, but I am very much more focused on this moment in our history.”

“Have you picked anyone?” asked Yo.

“Yes, clearly,” she answered.

“Can you say?”

“That’s personal but it’s pretty obvious,” the entertainer replied.

“Come on Mariah, ‘Yes we can’ Mr. Barack Obama?’

Laughing, Carey came clean: “Yes we can!”

[From E!]

Like Britney Spears, Mariah also had a very public meltdown several years ago, nearly stripping off her clothes on MTV’s “TRL.” But instead of flaunting the crazy like Brit, Mariah checked herself into a hospital (for the classic celeb “exhaustion”), took some time off, got her shit together, and came back with her strongest album ever, 2005’s “ The Emancipation of Mimi.” Though Mariah has always stated she’s not in a position to give Britney Spears advice, she did say that what got her through her public meltdown was her faith, and that Britney’s still got a chance to make a comeback.

On life after the bomb that was 2001’s Glitter album and movie and her subsequent comeback, Carey pointed to her faith as a source of strength. “You know what, I never lost my faith in God and that’s the main thing,” she noted. “For me its about my personal relationship with God and just feeling centered and just not letting anything really penetrate that. That’s something that’s sacred for me that I have for myself no matter what.”

In light of the personal crisis Carey faced in the wake of Glitter’s failure when she checked herself into a hospital to be treated for an emotional and physical breakdown, Yo also got her take on the Britster’s current travails and whether or not the pop tart can recover.

“I think anybody who loves music and is committed to the game can do whatever. I never count people out, that’s just not in my nature but that is a part of human nature, people like to do that but with me especially with making this new record, its all about the music.”

[From E!]

Mariah’s right in that she’s no Einstein, but she’s clearly gotten her act together since her breakdown. It’s cool that she doesn’t pretend to know what’s best for Britney Spears; but it’d be nice if someone pointed out to Britney that there’s another singer out there who took a pretty big fall and managed to come out even stronger for it.

Here’s Mariah Carey at MTV’s TRL on February 27, 2008. Images thanks to PR Photos.