Saturday, August 11, 2007

Greetings From Ames   [Byron York]

Measuring the candidates' commitment by the amount of money they have shelled out for facilities here, Mitt Romney is, as expected, in the lead. He has created Romney Square outside the Hilton Coliseum, complete with huge barbeque layout, children's playground, and music stage. Sam Brownback is not far behind, with an enormous tent that looks like the Denver airport and is, unlike the others, air-conditioned. Problem is, it's only cool right by the big vents; everywhere else in the tent feels pretty much like an un-air-conditioned tent, except that the enclosure allows less breeze to go through. So the Great Brownback Air Conditioning Gambit, much talked about in these parts, may have fallen a little short.

Others: Mike Huckabee has a big, if somewhat ramshackle, spread in the parking lot. And he plays in his own band. Tom Tancredo has a big setup, as does Tommy Thompson — pretty impressive for a guy who's about to quit. Ron Paul supporters are everywhere and are just as energetic, committed and vocal as they are in the emails they send me.

08/11 01:38 PMShare