Saddam Verdict Surprise?

"He has shucked the coat and tie for shirtsleeves and slipped a little more drawl into his voice as he hits mainly conservative, rural communities. . . .

"Even when a sour note turns up, it is quickly overwhelmed in these Bush bastions. The president made a stop Friday in a jampacked, sweltering high school gymnasium in Le Mars, Iowa, the self-styled ice cream capital of the world. At one point, someone in the crowd held up a painted sign that said 'Impeach.' Bush supporters pulled it down as the room erupted in boos. Then, following instructions given before the rally for how to drown out hecklers, volunteers started chanting 'USA! USA!'"

Writes Baker: "If Bush is worried, he does not let on. Nor does his top strategist, Karl Rove, who, just as he did in the final stretch before the 2004 election, has made a point in the past few days of appearing jovial and carefree. Wearing a Cheshire cat grin and the same green tie with greyhounds two days in a row, he playfully teased the traveling media, mocking David Gregory's pocket handkerchief and stuffing pieces of white paper in the jacket pockets of other reporters so they would match the NBC correspondent."

Molly Hennessy-Fiske writes in the Los Angeles Times: "This was a world of true believers, people who enthusiastically support the president even as most Americans, in public opinion polls, give him poor job reviews. In Bush's final campaign swing before election day, he is visiting a series of Republican-leaning communities, like this one in northwest Iowa that hosted him on Friday. . . .

"Tickets to Bush's rallies are distributed at GOP campaign headquarters, and recipients are asked to volunteer. Blocks of tickets are set aside for students at conservative colleges such as Evangel University and Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo."

Enforcing the Bubble

Just how ruthlessly is the bubble enforced? Vice President Cheney was in Idaho on Thursday for a " victory rally ".

Tom Greene writes in the Coeur d'Alene Press: "Coeur d'Alene businesswoman Melodee Watt, 51, said she has always considered herself an independent voter. When she heard the vice president was coming to North Idaho, she said she wanted to take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She went to the GOP headquarters, filled out a form and waited in line.

"'She (a GOP volunteer) typed it in and said 'Oops, we have a little problem,'' Watt said. 'I thought 'What? I've never been arrested or anything.''

"The volunteer had pulled up a scarlet 'D' by Watt's name. She was flagged as a Democrat, and Democrats were not invited to the vice president's rally. . . .

"Kootenai County Chairman Brad Corkhill confirmed Democrats were not invited except 'a few might have snuck in.'

"'Not when we want Republicans to have them (tickets),' Corkhill said. 'It's our party and that's what we want to do.' . . .

"Corkhill said they used a GOP 'voter vault' computer database to determine which party a ticket seeker belonged to. The voter vault is a marketing tool used by Republicans to identify prospective voters."