Former p.c. (that would be presidential candidate) Howard Dean spoke to the Iowa Democrats in Boston this morning, and he started by leaning into the mic and saying “Yahoo,” then laughing and showing those teeth. It was not the YaHOO-OO of the www.yahoo.com commercials, nor was it Cowboy Pete-ish. It had a bit of an eastern twang to it, if easterners can twang. In volume, it did not rival his January 19 screech. Afterwards, I asked him if the “Yahoo” was an attempt at humor, and he said he “couldn’t resist.”

Dean was curt when asked to comment on the demise of his campaign, and he flat out refused to say whether he’d run again “I’m not going to go there” he told reporters. But he did go see the Iowans. Dean’s Iowa campaign manager Jeannie Murray scanned the room before Dean came in, jotting down the names of luminaries on a file card. Dean then sprinkled references to those folks during his remarks.

Right after Dean Cam Kerry talked, but I was out of the room chatting with Dean, so I have no idea what he said. Before Dean spoke, Ann Richards had been behind the microphone addressing the Iowa Dems. She was introduced by Lynn Cutler, a former Iowan, and it was a sign that she hasn’t lived in Iowa for quite a few years that one woman in the delegation asked me who Lynn Cutler was.

Elizabeth Edwards was the first speaker of the day to woo Iowans. She revealed the deal she made with the two little kids last night. Evidently Emma Claire and Jack like to “butt heads” a lot, so she promised them back stage that if they didn’t head-butt on stage and behaved themselves on stage after daddy’s speech when they all went out for the money shot, the kids could sleep with mommy and daddy last night. The deal worked, and Mrs. Edwards says she and hubby slept in separate beds. She drew Jack “who is a whirling dervish” in her bed; Senator Edwards slept with Emma Claire.

I was sort of surprised by the national media’s reaction to the Edwards speech. I’ve heard most of that speech before, lots of times, and he really didn’t seem to have “it” last night like he did back in Iowa during the closing days of the Caucus Campaign.

For those of you who’ve heard my Ann Richard impression, by the way, I now have a new joke in the arsenal. It’s about George Washington. Regretably, the phrase “fanny right on in” is not part of it. Richards uttered two really good words during her speech to Iowans: diatribe (think of the Texas drawl, and imagine how it sounded) and shy. A drawl goes a long way, if you know what I mean.

And Wesley Clark finally showed me his intellect tonight. He used the word pantheon in his speech.

One of the Iowa delegates told me last night she’d be playing her accordian in downtown Iowa City to entice potential voters to fill out the registration forms. When I asked if that worked, she said “Yeah, but some run away.”

Another 25-year-old delgate plans a Halloween party with a GOTV theme (that’s Get Out The Vote). She plans to dress as “Lady Liberty.” While the toga-like outfit is an easy costume to throw together, sources say it kills your arm to hold up that lamp all night, so she might want to dress like Uncle Sam or perhaps Aunt Samatha.

Oh, and for those of you who think this is a fashion column, Mrs. Vilsack was wearing a Heinz-ketchup red suit this morning.

For those of you looking for hard news, it seems Governor Vilsack told the Latino Caucus earlier this week that he needs a democratic legislature so he and they can repeal the English Only law in Iowa. Wonder if he told the Caucus he was the Governor who signed it into law. I’m hoping to chat with the Governor tomorrow to find out what’s up with that.

I am now signing off to listen to the Kerry speech. I’ll file one more blog tomorrow.

So, when I saw Christie Vilsack this morning at the Iowa Delegation’s breakfast here in Beantown, I asked her the question on the minds of, oh, at least two of my friends: Why didn’t you take Matt Paul’s advice? For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Paul, he is the Governor’s press secretary who has a dashing sense of style and dishes it out to those who ask. Governor Tom Vilsakc, who I happened to chat with before his wife (and who seeks Mr. Paul’s advice), let loose with the detail that Mr. Paul had recommended another wardrobe option.

Mrs. Vilsack confirmed that during our brief conversation. Mrs. V said she has a nice “conservative suit” but opted to wear the bubble-gum pink suit with the white polka dots because she wanted attire with an attitude (I’m alliterating for my own amusement here; she told me she wanted to wear “something with attitude” but I couldn’t resist the double a, but I am coming clean now).

So, Mrs. Vilsack said she wanted an outfit with attitude because of the week she’s had. As you may have heard or read, the Boston Herald unearthed a column Mrs. V wrote in favor of making English the Official Language. I won’t go into detail, as it’s covered elsewhere and I’m getting carpal tunnel on this laptop which is perched on the top of the desk in my room here at the Marriott Long Wharf. Or is that Long Whart Marriott.

In addition to the alliteration confession, I must also reveal that the very generous Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, let me ride with him to the Fleet Center this evening. I did glean news items during this trip, so it was a working trip. Fischer and all the other state party chairmen have hired drivers, and the Fischers gave their driver, who moved here from China, a gift bag of stuff from the convention, including the canvas carry-all with the convention logo on its side and a box of the Kraft Mac & Cheese created just for this convention.

So, Gordon jumped in the car and quipped to the driver that “this is my other wife” in explanation for the new woman accompanying him to the convention hall. Mrs. Fischer, I believe, gave her credentials for this evening to another Iowan. A brief discussion about Utah ensued, as often happens when multiple wives come up in conversation.

Once we reached the perimeter (I’m sorry, I have to use that word. No other came quickly to mind so I’m using it even though real people don’t use the word “perimeter” in conversation — just math teachers and cops. Does the sum of the perimeter equal something?) well, once we reached the perimeter of the Fleet Center we wound our way through the barricades, and the hecklers, and the metal detectors. Once inside, the cramped conditions are apparent. Mr. Fischer waded into the hall and passed messages to Iowans in the delegation I wanted to chat with since I don’t have a pass that allows me onto the floor, just into the Fleet Center and the corridors around the hall.

One of the Iowans I wanted to chat with was Patrick Johnson of Clinton. He may wind up on “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central — and seemed unconcerned he may wind up looking silly or even stupid. The gag/gig ended with two of the comedians who are “reporters” on the show singing a duet of “The Star Spangled Banner”…Johnson says he jumped to his feet and put his hand over his heart because he wanted to be respectful. He also says it appears to him the comedians had rehearsed the song a few times. I failed to ask if they hit the high notes or if the two did a Roseanne to help nail the high notes. Bad reporter!

I was chatting with Todd Dorman today, Lee Enterprises Des Moines Bureau Chief, and he allowed as how (note use of southwest Iowa saying “allowed as how”) the reporters he’s talked with who are covering the convention seem to be teetering toward suicide, but unable to jump because of all the barbed wire on the top of the fences on the bridges.

I am not suicidal, partly because I made a concerted effort to go to a restaurant (Legal Sea Food), sit down, order from a menu and eat something like a vegetable. I did have to sit at the lunch counter, but the party of three who joined alongside proved to be lovely and happened to be related to Maya Angelou and were in town to hang out with her.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned that lunch. It was the only meal I’ve had today, but yes, friends, I did order the salmon. I considered ordering the scrod, just because I’ve never eaten it and it would be fun to say “I’ll have the scrod” and “I ate some good scrod in Boston” but the allure of the salmon was too much for me to resist. And in affirmation of my fine dining choice, the Angelou relatives exclaimed “Oh, that looks good,” when my plate arrived, and they weren’t talking about the brocoli.

I should probably divert back to news items, so let me share that Delaware Senator Joe Biden showed up to speak to the Iowa Delegation about the same time the folks in NE Iowa go out to milk the cows, which means he was waaaay too early. So he hung out with Governor Vilsack for a while to drink some coffee. Then, when he did talk, he talked about 20 minutes. Quoted an Irish poet. I tried to take notes. He’s said most of it all before, on t.v. ’cause he’s always on t.v.

The Governor got a little verclempt (spelling?) this morning when he was talking about his wife’s appearance last night at the convention. He was thanking the Iowans for being nice to her yesterday in the midst of the controversy and in the midst of a very stressful gig. Listening back to the tape, his voice cracked, then he backed away from the microphone for 4.6 seconds. Then, he started talking again.
State Rep. Mary Mascher, a delegate at this convention, tells me Peter Jennings (she thinks it was him) interviewed University of Iowa student and fellow delegate Megan Heneke, the young woman who grew up in Spirit Lake and is leader of Iowa Young Democrats now. Mascher says Heneke did well. Heneke told me Sunday she wants to run for office someday. Perhaps she could use the footage with Jennings in her campaign commercials.

They’re doing the roll call of the states now, and it’s driving me crazy. It is not “two-hundred-and-twenty” votes. AND is to be used where the decimal point is in a number. Therefore, cast your “two-hundred-twenty” votes, please. High school math teacher Carolyn Dillenberg drilled that into us. Maybe I should try to answer that math question about perimeters now…

So, perhaps I could suggest my morning wake-up call came from Ben Affleck. Figuratively, it’s sort of true.

Here’s the deal: I was, as they say, dead dog tired heading downstairs for this morning’s delegate meeting in the hotel. The way I counter this is to eat before I go, then stand or stroll the entire time, which keeps me awake since I have never gained the talent of sleeping standing up, but listening to one more politician giving one more speech that I’ve heard one-too-many times could push me toward that elusive goal.

But then Jean Hessberg, the IA Dems executive director, told me Ben Affleck was going to make a visit to the Iowa Delegation’s breakfast. This perked me up the way a cup of coffee used to (I no longer drink the caffeine; body’s a temple and all that garbage). Something outside of the routine. Somebody who might say something to generate water-cooler talk. Somebody everybody in Iowa knows (I’m not sure everyone knows who John Kerry and John Edwards are at this point, but I’m waaaay sure they know Benifer, I mean Mr. Affleck.)

And that’s how I addressed Mr. Affleck when I got the chance. Four star General Wesley Clark was exorting the party troops (notice the pun, PLEASE, or I’ll turn this car around right now) for a good 8 minutes and 45 seconds (remember, I’m the one with the digital recording of this stuff, so I know) and he did marginally better than he did during his one campaign-style appearance in Iowa. Clark ended with some flag-waving rhetoric (read the news story about this on the website to get the 411 on his hangover, or at least suggestion of a hangover or rather late-night on Monday), and as the crowd applauded his last line he grabbed the folds of the American flag posted right behind him and held it out/unfurled it for show.

Then came the big show. Lots of screaming. Everybody, it seemed, had a digital camera. Yes, this was the moment. Jean Hessburg stepped to the mic and introduced Ben Affleck as “a man who’s near and dear to my heart now that we’re best friends.” (Hessberg was forced to spend some time in the hallway with Affleck while Clark was speaking. It’s that kind of behind-the-scenes “work” that makes up for the other stuff, like the envelope stuffing.) Flashes went crazy. Affleck began by tossing birthday wishes to the two Iowa women who happened to be having birthdays today. Then he launched into a speech which is posted on the Radio Iowa website somewhere. It lasted approximately 3:16, after the birthday well-wishing which took up about 27 seconds. I had a catbird’s seat (I’ve never actually seen the catbird’s seat, but it’s a description I’ll throw in for good measure) as my chair was positioned at the front of the room, right by one of the doors (always smart to be near an exit, friends) and near my equipment on the lecturn (always good to keep a close eye on the recording) which means, of course, I was within spittin’ distance of Affleck, and I can say I’ve never been able to spit very far (I really have never tried), so you get the picture. I was close. After he finished speaking, there was a huge rush to the front of the room get to him. A WDM doctor who’s been jumping into camera shots the past two days (he got snaps with Clinton & Carter last night; the guy is unbelievable in his quest for celebrity pix) jumped right under Ben’s right arm as Ben had his left arm around a blushing young girl who, when asked by Ben, admitted she was only 18. “You’d better get away from me. I don’t want to get into any trouble with your folks,” Ben joked. I popped a question at him.

“Mr. Affleck, this (the rush) didn’t happen with Mr. Clark. Why?” I asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Affleck said, laughing. “Mr. Clark’s extremely charismatic. I think he’s sexy, to be perfectly honest.”

More jostling occured as others tried to get in position to get a picture with Affleck. Then, amid the mayhem, Affeck leaned back toward me, touched my arm and delivered a line before his exit from the room.

“Maybe people are a little intimidated by the General,” Affleck said. “He’s imposing and seems serious. I don’t think people confer the same kind of gravitas on me.”

‘Can we get a picture?” another Iowan asked.

”Sure, take the picture,” Affleck replied.

Des Moines Register chief political reporter Thomas Beaumont offered this assessment a short while later: “He (Mr. Affleck) re-established eye contact with you, and you broke away. I mean, he sought you. He sought you.”

Perhaps it was the breath mints. A fresh breath is always a great way to greet the day, or any movie star.

Chanon & Candace Opstvedt, 16- and 18-year-old sisters from Story City, got their picture taken with Affleck.

“AAAAHHHH!” they declared in a joint scream in the elevator afterwards.

“He’s, like, just as good looking in person as he is…” said one.

“He’s tall,” said the other, interrupting.

“Nice, and what can you say about him. He’s good looking.”

“He encourages young voters and that’s especially important to us.”

“And he’s a democrat.”

“We could go home now and be happy.”

Oh, and in reply to my friend Mary, who asked “where did he touch you?” — it was a touch to the forearm.

Enough Ben. Next, a funny story about the Iowa delegation’s phone. As you may notice when you’re watching the convention on t.v., the delegations have a conventional, old-style phone in their midst on the convention floor. The Kerry campaign puppeteers are on the other end of the line.

So, last night the phone rings, and the floor whip picks up it, to hear: “Michigan is waving their signs more.” A hang-up immediately followed. As you may know, Michiganders hate Iowa’s role as the first Caucus state, so there’s a little rivalry there. So, Jean Hessberg says she picked up a sign and started waving it like crazy, and her fellow Iowans got the message.

Now, I’m getting ready to write a piece about the young Iowans who’re part of the delegation here in Boston. And those of you will no doubt note there has been no complaining about food or lack of sleep today. I’m resolved to be Little Miss Positive for, oh, at least another hour or so. 

The day began with news in the Boston Herald, the tabloid in Beantown. The paper’s dramatic headline: “Say What?” was directed at Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack. Seems somebody (Mrs. V alleges an RNC staffer) read one of the columns she wrote in 1994 for the Mount Pleasant News, and in it she discussed her difficulty in understanding some black people when they talked with one another.

I made a mad scramble to get a report on for Radio Iowa’s mid-day (Mrs. V was out of the delegation’s hotel by the time I found out about the story). Them, it was off in a cab to Northeastern University and a 1:30 news conference that –I hope you’re sitting down– started early. So, when I walked in at 1:24, acccompanied/escorted by Chicago Trib newsman John McCormick who was on the story, too, the thing had already started. Afterwards, Mrs. V talked with me, McCormick and Cedar Rapids Gazette reporter James Q. Lynch. You’ve no doubt read news accounts of this in other portions of the Radio Iowa website, so I’ll spare you that stuff. I asked her if she was “peeved” but she said no. She said as a former journalism teacher she’s a fan of free speech, but when McCormick asked if she supported it for tabloids, too, she only replied “I support free speech.”

I rode the T back to the hotel (the “T” is the subway here in Boston) and got portions of the interview on the air this afternoon. I took a quick jog over to the 7-11 to buy a banana, a quart of skim milk, and some lowfat yogurt (that accounts for today’s “lunch,” at 4 p.m.), then dashed back to the hotel room to start editing for tomorrow morning. Got that done shortly before nine, and now I’m writing this lovely rant, er, blog.

Mrs. Vilsack’s hubby spoke briefly to the convention earlier this afternoon, as he’s the platform committee chair, and the person who introduced him called him the Gov of OHIO. Oh, well. Iowa’s the Rodney Dangerfield of states, I guess.

The early morning hours were spent listening to the likes of Bill Richardson, the New Mexico Governor who roused the Iowa Delegates this morning, then answered a few questions from me and the other Iowa reporters in the hallway outside. As he went to walk away, he looked right past me and said “Thanks, guys.” Terrific impression.

Next up, Terry McAuliffe, and I’m not going to spell-check the last name because you know who I mean — the DNC chairman. Anyway, he was cooling his heels on the side of the room as Senator Tom Harkin was speaking to Iowa delegates. Mr. T has a relatively busy schedule for the convwntion, so Jean Hessberg, IA Dem Party exec director, whispered a new play to Senator Harkin, who stepped away from the mic and let IA Party chair Gordon Fischer begin his intro of McAuliffe. As Fischer was speaking, McAuliffe turned to Jean Hessburg to ask for some details of the 2000 outcome in Iowa re: Gore/Bush race. She quietly and quickly relayed the details, and then he recited them a minute later in remarks to the crowd (no notes) and Hessberg looked at one of the DNC staffers and said “Oh, he’s good.” It reminded me a bit of the movie Broadcast News when Albert Brooks was sitting at home on the phone with Holly Hunter, telling her all the intricate details of some news story and hearing those details recited word for word seconds later by “anchorman” William Hurt (forgive me for using their real names rather than the characters’ names).

Oh, forgot to relay that Richardson gave all the Iowans a jar of New Mexico salsa. No taste test reported yet.

Well, after McAuliffe came former Iowa Congressman and former US Senator John Culver. Culver gave a speech, without notes. His son Chet (yes, the Secretary of State) was the emcee for the a.m. breakfast program, and after John Culver concluded and the crowd was applauding, Chet walked onto the stage, and hugged his dad and the two exchanged quiet “I love you’s” during their embrace.

Patrick Kennedy, Teddy Kennedy’s son, is a Rhode Island Congressman and was shceduled to speak, too, but showed up so late most Iowans had left the room.

Saw John Norris, long-time Iowa political organizer who is working on Kerry’s national campaign now, at the breakfast and we chatted quietly in a corner. A longer story to appear soon on Radio Iowa, as his wife and the mother of his twin kids is a convention delegate. The kids are staying with Jackie’s parents in New Hampshire at Jackie’s grandparent’s house. So John Norris will get to see his kids this weekend, I’m led to believe.

Spent some quality time in my “newsroom” today with Chicago Trib’s John McCormick (ladies, he was typing on his laptop; I was editing on mine, so don’t go jumping to any conclusions). And he gallantly directed me on the T after the Christie V event, giving me one of his tokens, so I owe him $1.25.

Also saw Congressman Leonard Boswell outside the delegate meeting room this morning and Boswell got me to back him up on the idea that the aroma of manure used to be referred to as “the smell of money” down on the farm (he knows where my parents’ farm was — on the outskirts of Lenox, IA, and he knew I had heard that phrase in my childhood, although I can report that my father did NOT raise hogs during my childhood, only cattle, sheep, horses, corn, beans, oats, alfalfa, the occasional goat and barnyard cats — the kind that live in the barn and catch mice; don’t jump to naughty conclusions, folks!). At the time of the “smell of money” discussion, Boswell was chatting with a Cedar Rapids Gazette columnist, and the distinctive aroma of oats & Captain Crunch that wafts over Cedar Rapids was being debated. I don’t believe anyone was in favor of it, but I wasn’t taking notes.

I shall quit taking notes at this time and try to catch up with “stuff,” like maybe catch a nice meal. (In case you missed it, reporters tend to talk a lot about how little sleep they’ve gotten and how awful their food intake is.)

The Ironic moments of Saturday

The powers that be threw a big bash for the more than 10,000 media representatives who’re in Boston for the DNC. As you may know, loads of cash has been raised for this event and the campaign in general, but the irony of this struck me: the bartenders serving the free (corporations paid, reporters didn’t) booze at the media party were not allowed to have a tip jar. Seems the party poohbabs and the politiicans can solicit money whenever possible, but the 58 bartenders who probably were making a pittance to serve the media were not allowed to solicit a tip. Tips were accepted, though, and I tipped for the “lite” beer that was handed to me.

Second bit of irony: the delegates who were arriving to participate in this little bit of democracy are greeted/protected at the airport and in the “convention zone” by law enforcement types toting machine guns (I am not an expert on guns, so I have no idea on make or model, but kinda like the old cartoon saying, I could tell they were bigger than the average gun). So, it’s looking a little like a banana republic around here. When I see a Panama hat, I’ll let you know.

The Platonic & Neurotic (you can deduce who are the friends & who are the neurotic people)

I was escorted into the media party by Chicago Trib newsman John McCormick (former DSM Reg reporter) and AP newsman Ken Thomas (now of AP’s Miami bureau after a stint in DSM). I got to eat supper earlier with these two gentlemen and catch up on their lives. Others in the dinner party included Iowa Dem Party chair Gordon Fischer & his wife, Monica (Radio Iowa exclusive to follow); former Howard Dean campaign spokeswomen Sarah Leonard & Tricia Enright; Iowa Secretary of State Chet Culver & his wife, Mary (the Culvers didn’t eat, but socialized — more news on the Culver front later) and a man who was probably quite fascinating but as he was sitting at the other end of the table and since I am not good with names, I don’t remember his name or his connection to Iowa. The get-together was held at the Union Oyster House, established in 1826. It claims to be America’s oldest restaurant (find it on-line at www.unionoysterhouse.com). The food was quite good. (For those of you who’ve dined with me before: Yes, I ordered the salmon.) Newsman McCormick was in fine militant consumer mode, as he haggled with the hostess about the readiness of our dining table. “Are we talking five minutes or forty minutes?” Mr. McCormick asked twice as he tapped his watch. “Just tell me which it is.” In Lenox, Iowa, we wouuld describe both Mr. McCormick and the hostess as “huffy” with each other. The wait turned out to be approximately 10 minutes. Misters McCormick & Thomas shared a big old lobster; Ms. Enright offered suggestions on how to eat it. Table talk included discussion of Ralph Nader’s candidacy, the Bush/Kerry race in Iowa, convention intrigue, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, the importance of not filling up on bread before the main course arrives, the ability to have oysters as a meal (Yes, Ms. Leonard was able to have oysters) and the desire to have a baked potato with the meal rather than fries or Boston baked beans (Ms. Enright insisted).

After walking out of the restaurant, the three news hounds & the Fishcers piled into a cab and headed to the Boston Convention & Exhition Center, allegedly New England’s biggest building (it’s big enough to have 16 NFL games played inside all at once according to the helpful details provided in a media packet). Loads of food laid out for the hoards, but I didn’t partake. I did get the tape recorder out for an impromptu Jesse Jackson sighting, but he said nothing of news value. Bill Richardson, the New Mexico Governor, was posing for pictures with people. Why reporters would want their picture taken with him is beyond me.

I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of other Chicago Trib reporters & talking of their U.S. Senate candidate, Obama. A meet-up with DSM Register reporter Tom Beaumont occured on the convention hall floor. He was accompanied by Laura Capps who had been John Kerry’s Iowa campaign press person. Capps is staying in a college dormitory during the convention run; she’s working on the Kerry campaign, as is her boyfriend Bill Burton, the former Iowa campaign press person for Dick Gephardt. Burton is now working for Kerry, too, and they allegedly share an office in DC. Burton caught up with our group, chatted a bit, then the happy couple walked away, hand-in-hand. Apparently the romance that started during the Iowa Caucus campaign is still in bloom.

Beaumont, McCormick and I headed out of the convention center after I changed into my “sensible shoes for walking.” The trek back to the hotel was probably a tad over a mile, I collapsed into bed and slept in on Sunday because, as you’ll read below if you’re still reading this drivel, I HAD A MASSIVE TRAVEL NIGHTMARE.

It all started out so well. Despite carrying a laptop, a bunch of chords and a cast iron mic stand, I made it through security at DSM airport without a hitch on Friday afternoon. The three young women in front of me who looked like they were members of that Swedish Bikini Team featured in a long-ago beer commercial were not so lucky. They were searched; their film was taken out of its canisters; I have no idea why. Apparently blond, attractive, young women who do not speak English well are a security risk.

I made it into the DSM airport bar with my 22.6 pound carry-on bag (yes, I weighed it at home), where at 3:15 p.m. on Friday afternoon I finally had the beer I had wanted at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Uno pizza accompanied the diet beer and it was just about the first time in four days I had actually been seated while eating (standing up in my kitchen eating tuna fish out of a can at 8:30 on Wednesday night does not count as fine dining). The flight from DSM to Minneapolis was splendid, aided by the fact one beer made me sleepy so I snoozed. But my flight to Boston was cancelled due to weather, which means the airline has no responsibility to either pay or help you line up accommomdations, which means the nightmare begins at this point. I spent an hour getting a ticket booked to Boston the following day and getting my name on the stand-by lists for the first two flights to Boston.

Then, the baggage odyssey began. Because of a late-shipment of equipment, I had to carry-on most of my radio gear, but one importance piece (it’s called a mixer for those in the know) didn’t fit in my briefcase and had to be in a checked bag. So, I decided to get that checked bag before leaving the airport, and it took approximately 2 hours and 12 minutes (ok, I timed it) for me to be reunited with that checked bag. Perhaps I brought all this bad karma on myself, though, as I was sitting on the floor in the baggage claim area reading a book loaned to me by a woman who was laid off by Northwest last year. I finished the book, by the way, so I’m hoping any bad vibes have vanished.

Next, finding a hotel. It seems there was a big soccer tournament near the Twin Cities and I am NOT exaggerating when I tell you there were NINE HUNDRED TEAMS participating. This meant that every hotel was booked solid. And I know this because I called several hotels and when I type several hotels, I mean over a dozen. Finally got the last $99 room at a Holiday Inn Express. Checked in about midnight. Checked out about 5:20 a.m. Went back to the airport, where I was unlucky enough to not be able to fly on either of the morning flights to Boston. I can admit to shopping in that airport mall in Minneapolis, as I had lots of time on my hands as I waited between waiting to be called from the stand-by list. I also walked every terminal in the place to get some exercise in rather than sit on my fanny and read. Once airborne in the 1:11 p.m. flight to Boston, though, I did pick up and read through the new Grisham novel, Bleachers. Don’t ask to borrow it, though. I gave it to somebody else on the flight when I finished.

Next time I check in I can tell you how much beer the Iowans consume at a Tom Harkin reception I’ll be covering this evening (I won’t be drinking the booze; I’m on assignment).

Hey, sports fans. Tom Vilsack is at the Red Sox game, in the seats this time. Earlier this month, Vilsack shared that on a trip to Boston with his family, “the General” (his name for wife Christie in this instance) “marched” the family around Boston on the Freedom Trail. In an effort to show his young son a person can get into any event for the right price, Vilsack and his son (the General didn’t come along) went to Fenway to see some really crucial game (its significance fades in my memory the same way a good tan fades – it fades but the damage that leads to skin cancer or in this case mental overload, never goes away). Vilsack found someone just outside the park selling tickets for some outrageous price; he wanted in, so said yes, then after he’d given his word he’d buy them (this “giving his word” thing was very important in the story, as Vilsack said he didn’t’ want to say he’d do something this big in front of his son and then back out on the deal) discovered he could buy two tickets, EACH at that outrageous price of something like $75 (my mind fails me at the exact price). Anyway, they got inside. Vilsack asked an usher where the seats were, and the usher said “Those aren’t seats. You’re in Standing Room Only. ” So, Vilsack and his elementary-school-aged son were in the second row of SRO, and his son couldn’t see this game because he was a kid standing behind adults.

Well, this time Vilsack is apparently with what one of my reporter friends calls “the heavy hitters.” He’s actually sitting in a seat at Fenway as I sit in my seat here at the Marriott Long Wharf at 9:30 p.m. after having had a crappy day. After running around trying to catch people to talk to, I spent about four straight hours writing and editing stories that’ll air tomorrow morning on Radio Iowa. And in the middle of the day I stood in a line for two hours along with hundreds of other radio and t.v. people to get my credentials for this convention shindig. The kicker is the credentials we “locals” are issued aren’t good for much anyway, since we can’t be on the floor during the convention. There’s no room. I can stand in the hallway outside, or get a 20 minute pass from a kiosk, then sprint for 10 minutes to get inside to the front of the convention hall where the Iowans are sitting, do a 10 second interview, then turn around and sprint back to turn in my temporary floor pass or risk some wicked punishment, like having my basically useless credential yanked and being sent home without dinner. Which I haven’t had tonight anyway. I’m going to count the 4:30 p.m. room service lunch as supper and call it a day.

If Vilsack tells me a story tomorrow about how good his hot dog was at the ballpark, I may not be responsible for my reaction.

It’s the day before my flight to Boston and I’ve been running around like crazy trying to wrap up loose ends on the news side and personal side, like getting to this afternoon’s hair cut appointment that I had had to reschedule FOUR TIMES in the past week because of news events. (First it was a news director’s meeting in Wisconsin on the 14th, then it was President Bush in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday…you get the idea, so I’ll quit that rant.)

Today started with the taping of that Iowa Public Television show I’m invited on (it’s called Iowa Press, and it airs on Friday nights and Sunday at noon). The guests were Rob Tully, who was chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party in 2000 and Steve Roberts, a former Republican Party of Iowa chairman who has been on the Republican National Committee for a couple of decades. Anyway, both men said the four-day-long political convention is “silly.” Roberts said a two-day convention would be adequate since with the outcome certain, the events have become little more than a campaign ommercial. “Unfortunately some of the powers that be at the national level that run these conventions think they’re putting on a great show and the public is going to love it,” Robert said. Tully offered similar sentiments (warning: silly quote dead ahead) “The four day convention to me is kind of silly because to me as going through it in 2000, you know a couple of days were just like ‘Oh boy (yawn) who’s this person? This person’s from Rhode Island and they’re a city councilman?’” He says the conventions should “get right down to the president and vice president and let’s get movin’.”

Other highlights of the show included Roberts revealing he’s seen Fahrenheit 9/11 (remember, he’s the Republican) and Tully (the democrat) saying if Kerry isn’t elected this fall, then Governor Tom Vilsack won’t be leaving for a job in a Kerry administration and Vilsack then should think about running for a third term. (Connect the dots on that one.)

My next news event occured outdoors, in the rain, over the noonhour. The Principal Financial folks threw a big bash to mark the beginning of construction on the Riverwalk renovations they’re bankrolling in downtown Des Moines. Governor Tom Vilsack and the other dignitaries held golf umbrellas in one hand and a microphone in the other as they addressed the sprinkling of people gathered outside on the west bank of the Des Moines River (note use of sprinkling in story about an event in the rain). After brief remarks, Vilsack, Principal CEO Barry Griswell, the Mayor of Des Moines and a top guy from the U-S Army Corps of Engineers picked up chainsaws and sawed through railroad ties set up for the event. I guess the significance is they’re getting rid of some railroad ties to do the spruce up job. Anyway, for those keeping score, the Mayor of Des Moines sawed through his tie first; Vilsack was the last to make the cut (is that a nice pun or what?).

After getting soaked at that event, I spent a couple of hours in the Radio Iowa newsroom drying out and writing stories, then dashed off to Iowa Democratic Party HQ at three to chat with the party’s spokesman about the convention in Boston (hear part of that interview tomorrow morning on Radio Iowa). Then, it was a mad dash to get to my hair appointment on time. I do have to admit I missed Governor Tom Vilsack’s news conference at 4:15, but KUNI statehouse bureau chief Jeneane Beck covered for us, and reports Vilsack basically said what he had said during an interview Jeneane, Richard Lee & I did with him in the rain at 12:30.

Well, once I got back to the office I edited and wrote the special convention preview package you’ll hear on Radio Iowa Friday morning. I mentioned this blog at the end of the package, so if you’re here because you heard that, welcome. If you stumbled on this by accident, welcome.

I will stumble into my hotel in Boston at about midnight on Friday and will post a ramble as soon as I can.

OK