CAUSE: The Fog
EFFECT: No Obama
DAVENPORT,
Iowa--Yesterday, he grounded the Hill-A-Copter. Today, he kept Barack
Obama from landing in this foggy Mississippi River city, sending his
flight back to Chicago and forcing him to cancel his
events here and in nearby Coralville.
Apparently, Old Man Winter is a John Edwards fan.
It's
a setback for the Obama campaign, which says it's never had to nix an
appearance and needs all the new recruits it can get before the
caucuses. Sighs of disappointment sounded throughout Mississippi River
Hall when mayor-elect Bill Gluba delivered the news. "He wanted me to
tell you how much he appreciates your support," said Gluba. At the
exits, volunteers worked to gather contact info and commitments from
the deflated attendees.
The
press corps, for its part, doesn't seem to mind. One reporter
mock-pitched me a blog item: "If Hawaii-Boy Can't Handle the Tough
Midwest Winters, How Can He Expect to Handle the Presidency?" "Does he
even care about Iowa?" he asked Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Another
scribe, who woke up at 5:00 a.m. to file an enterprise piece, took a
40-minute walk along the Mississippi. "This is a godsend," she said.
Nearby, a fellow blogger consulted with an Obama staffer about
Christmas
gifts for the wife. "It's Dec. 21 and I'm in Iowa," said the blogger.
"I'm screwed." "Three words: Tiffany dot com," said the staffer.
Me, I'm planning to steal some pizza from the traveling press corps. Word
is, Obama is now driving from Chicago to Washington, Iowa for what was
supposed to be the third and final stop of the day. Let's see if he
cares enough about the Hawkeye State to show up for that one.
