Can see both sides of any issue…just like Mitt Romney

In Des Moines half of the city… a massive turnout… enormous throngs… some farmers with nothing better to do turned out to see the Next President of the United States speak:

It’s Thursday, May 1, 2008, and Republican presidential candidate John McCain is due to speak here at the Polk County Convention Complex at 2 o’clock this afternoon. A sign on the ground floor advises "Eddie’s Shoe Shine" is set up on he second floor. I didn’t see a McCain campaign sign anywhere.

It’s 1:25 p.m. McCain Iowa chairman Dave Roederer is quizzing the crowd of about 250, asking questions which require yes or no answers.

After The Pledge and The National Anthem, longtime Iowa GOP insider Marvin Pomerantz of Des Moines made an appeal to the crowd for money. "We don’t have the conflict that some other parties have. Thanks goodness," Pomerantz said. "And we have an outstanding candidate for the presidency. He can prosecute this war and do whatever is required…He will, in my opinion, become one of the great presidents of our time and what we need to do is get him there….The other side has no trouble raising all sorts of money…Dig deep down into your reserves….He needs the money. We need the money."

In all honesty you could probably draw more than 250 people to the Polk County Convention Complex if you were showing off a two-headed cow… not that John McCain wouldn’t consider selecting one as his running mate. I mean, Joe Lieberman has been mentioned and he’s a horse’s ass.

Too bad more people didn’t show up as the question and answer period provided a campaign memory for the ages:

45 minutes into the event, McCain called on a man who asked a question that included a four-letter word. Here is the audio (mp3 runs 35 seconds) . Here is the transcript:

"Yes sir. Yes sir," McCain said, gesturing to the man he had called upon.

"This question goes to mental health and mental health care," the man began. "Previously I’ve been married to a woman that was very verbally abusive to me. Is it true that you called your wife a ____?"

A huge, collective gasp went up from the crowd.

"Now, now, you don’t want to," McCain began in reply. "Um, you know that’s the great thing about town hall meetings, sir, but we really don’t, there’s people here who don’t respect that kind of language so I’ll move on to the next questioner in the back. Yes sir. I see you."

The crowd applauded.

Now 250 Iowans have a great story to tell their grandkids someday.

Kids love stories like that, they really do…