Magic Bus
Another day, another bus for John Edwards. Today, it was the “Main Street Express” – pretty much a rolling billboard for the Edwards campaign. Yesterday, Edwards actually rode two different buses on his all day/all night Iowa tour. One appeared to be a rental. The other was what some dubbed the “mystery bus.” Dark green, no windows -- the kind the rock stars ride around in.

Tying One On
But when it comes to ties, Edwards appears to own only one. Or maybe he has a whole drawer full of them, all the same. Medium blue. No pattern – just solid blue. Must be a good luck charm. It’s the only tie we’ve seen him wear this week. In fact, we went back and looked at the video. It’s the only tie he wore last week, too. If he wins Iowa, Edwards may never change ties again.

Family Affair
It’s not just Iowa plant workers making phone calls for Edwards here on caucus day. His sister Kathy was on the phone here in Des Moines. She told us supporters are surprised when they find out. So, when they were kids what was big brother like – really like? “I guess he picked on me sometimes,” says Kathy. “But I wanted to steal his money from the dresser drawer.”

Don’t Leave Home Without It
If it wasn’t for our little dashboard GPS device, we’d be buried in some Iowa snow bank right now. Never thought I’d ever need one. But in the middle of the night, in the middle of the snow, in the middle of a state you’ve never been to and know nothing about, this thing will get you to the campaign office in Ottumwa. Or the coffee shop in Fairfield. Or the union hall here in Des Moines.

United Nations
We’re surrounded by foreign media here at our NBC Iowa workspace. The Brazilians are next to us. They don’t speak much English here at work. They’re on the phone a lot, apparently trying to work out their computer problems. The Canadians are behind us. They speak a lot of French – but they’re also very friendly. Al Jazeera is here, too.

Photo Op
In addition to us, the other local TV stations, and the network guys, there are literally hundreds of other people running around here, all with press credentials and video cameras. Some are even wearing berets. And they’re shooting everything that moves. I’m not sure how much video you really need of people walking in the front door of the Des Moines convention center. But that’s what one of the beret guys was shooting for almost an hour.

Day 1: Insomniacs for Edwards?

Road Warriors

“Welcome to Chicago. The local time is 11:20. The current temperature is 4 degrees…” A three-hour flight delay because of bad weather in Chicago means we’re driving all night – five hours in the snow from Chicago to Des Moines -- to catch up with the Edwards night owl campaign swing through Iowa.

While You Were Sleeping
While other candidates court the independents here in Iowa, Edwards appears to be targeting insomniacs. And the sleep deprived. At 2:30 a.m., the Edwards campaign bus stops at a supporter’s house in Creston, Iowa. There are 50-60 supporters there to meet him. At 2:30 in the morning? Welcome to nightlife in Iowa.

Security? What security?
Except for a local cop directing traffic in Fairfield, Iowa, Edwards travels with virtually no apparent security. None. Much different than the 2004 VP campaign, when Secret Service and local police were always part of the campaign routine. Of course, that will change if Edwards advances. In Fairfield, Edwards calls that security “the bubble that isolates a lot of politicians” from the public. And often from the media, too.

Let’s Get Small
Campaign rule of thumb: If the room is small, a small crowd looks bigger. But since the Edwards campaign is drawing well at every event, and since the press group following him grows larger by the hour, everybody’s a little too close for comfort. Somebody in the campaign must have a friend in the fire marshal’s office.

Eat, Drink And Be Wary
Iowans sure must like their pot roast. At an all-night diner on I-80 in Davenport, check out these items featured on the “local favorites” section. For breakfast, how about “Pot Roast Benedict”? And don’t forget the “Pot Roast Quesadilla” for an appetizer. Check please…

Laugh Lines
At a supporter’s home in Mt. Pleasant, Edwards referred to the idea of a fence along the border to keep out immigrants as “nutty.” When a supporter referred to Barack Obama as “not ready” to be president, Edwards responded, “I didn’t say that. But you go right ahead.” In Fairfield, Edwards reminded the crowd that the last two Democrats who won the White House “talked like this,” making sure all those Iowans heard his North Carolina drawl.

Speaking of Obama
Seems like a lot of Edwards supporters are – speaking of Barack Obama, that is. At nearly every campaign stop, Edwards fielded questions from the friendly crowds about Obama. Those supporters seem to think he’s Edwards’ main threat here in Iowa. But when we asked him about that, Edwards didn’t take the bait. In “Edwardspeak,” Obama is “a fine man” who differs with Edwards on many important issues.