On the first day of the Barack Obama era, rumors are flying that Robert F. (Bobby) Kennedy Jr. will be appointed to head up the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

If Kennedy is appointed EPA Administrator, he'll be the first all-out treehugger and die-hard liberal to run the Agency. As the head of Riverkeeper, a Hudson River environmental group, Kennedy has earned a reputation as a staunch opponent of corporate interests and protector of the environment. He has also hosted a talk show on the Air America Radio Network and been a leader in warning against possible vote fraud by the right.

According to Politico, the "selection of Kennedy would be a shrewd early move for the new presidential team. Obama advisers said the nomination would please both Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). It also would raise the profile of the EPA, which would help endear Obama to liberals who may be disappointed on other issues important to the Democratic left because of budget restrictions."

The rumor is newsworthy for two reasons.

First, Kennedy's appointment would mean a dramatic turnabout for the Agency, which despite its name has rarely been a truly ferocious defender of the environment, and at times more despoiler than protector.

Second, and this goes to the emotional impact of the rumor, for going on two years people have been listening to Obama's soaring "change" rhetoric. It's developed its own rhythm and place in our collective psyche. With the abruptness of a jolt of caffeine, this morning-after rumor has re-arranged the tune. What only yesterday felt unlikely and ethereal has become grounded and substantial. Love it or loathe it, Barack Obama's Big Idea is about to become reality. That distant horizon is here, now.