The following piece was produced through the Huffington Post's OffTheBus. Edited by Denise Wheeler. Reported by Kirsten Anderson, River Curtis-Stanley, Jodi Lampert, Julie Pierce, Richard Riehl, and Debbi Plummer.
Fleeced again: As a special thank you to the their most dedicated supporters, the McCain campaign is bringing back the popular McCain Fleece Jacket - which even the least dedicated supporters can have for a mere (and immediate) $200 donation or more. And to think for only $20.04 the Dodd campaign is offering a shot at two tickets at Fenway. Hmm... Fenway or fleece? Gee, these campaign gimmicks are getting really tough.
The wheels on the bus go round and round: The folks in Iowa got a surprise visit from Hillary Clinton when her "Middle Class Express" made a quick stop at the Maid-Rite in Marshalltown, a swank little diner whose specialty is "loose-meat sandwiches." Fortunately for Hillary Bill wasn't on the bus. Although word has it the sandwiches were pretty darn good.
Look, it's a Desert!: While campaigning in the water-challenged state of Nevada, Bill Richardson told a Vegas newspaper that northern states with lots of water should share it with drier states. Can we just, say, send New Mexico a big ol' jug of humidity and be done with it?
Yo, Adrian!: Colin McEnroe of the Hartford Courant calls Chris Dodd, "the Rocky Balboa of the 2008 field." Awesome! Well...is that the young, scrappy underdog fighter of the first Rocky? Or the broken-down old man of Rocky 6?
Cat lovers beware: The former First Cat, Socks, who the Clintons jettisoned off to Betty Curie, Bill's presidential secretary, is back in the news. The official Socks the Cat Fan Club sent an inquiry to the feline's former mistress, wanting to know how the beloved top cat was faring with Ms. Currie. Hillary's Senate office replied with a note --suggesting, more or less, that they butt out. Ouch! Wait until PETA hears about this.
Freddy just not ready: One of the best moments in Tuesday's Republican debate, occurred within only a minute or so into Thompson's opening answer. He just stopped speaking. Just like that. Blinked in confusion and seemed to have lost his train of thought. Or maybe he just couldn't read his cue cards. Lucky for him, it occurred a little after 4 p.m. Eastern time on a cable channel. If they wheel in a teleprompter at the next debate, we'll at least know why.
More Dine-n-Dash with Romney: During a campaign stop in Royal Oak Michigan, Mitt Romney ducked into Jimi's Restaurant to chat with supporters and diners. The native son shook hands and chatted as he made his way through the restaurant. "I'm convinced that Michigan is a leading indicator of where the nation is headed," Romney said. "Michigan is personal to me ..." He must not have been that convincing. One of the diners sat eating a sandwich and reading a book after Romney shook her hand.
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