(Cross-posted at JYB)
From the campaign trail, we hear this heart-wrenching tale:
An Iowa voter who at first was teased by Democrat Barack Obama ended up in a tearful embrace with the Illinois senator and presidential candidate during a campaign stop Wednesday.
Retired Air Force veteran Andrew Hampton grew emotional when he rose to ask Obama what he would do to ensure that others leaving the military get the health benefits they were promised.
…
He said he was especially worried about the veterans currently returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with terrible injuries, and left to the whims of a Congress that “plays hollow politics” by deciding how much health care they receive.“We can’t desert them,” Hampton wept as he told Obama. The crowd responded with a standing ovation, and Obama walked over and hugged him.
Very emotional, very teary, but, many of the news articles gloss over or don’t even mention the fact that this was a campaign stop for potential caucus attendees, i.e., hard-core DNC members, not simply concerned citizens, or “Iowa voters.” And as has become commonplace in this campaign, a quick Google search reveals that this is no garden variety veteran. He is a DNC activist who has made a hobby of following candidates in Iowa and taking their picture.
Posted by geoff 