About 500 people picked up tickets to attend, but there were no more than 350 people there. The event was thrown together over the weekend. The Lewis folks say Mrs. Bush offered to come in, but Democrats (and some Republicans) believe she's trying to help rescue Lewis' campaign. The weather may have had something to do with it. It was rainy and cold. Folks had to stand in line for hours outside the Colvin Community Center to pick up their credentials. And unbeknownst to most, the event was held outside, in an unheated tent draped over a tennis court. Not the nicest of accomodations for the First Lady. She did a nice job, considering she has to give a different speech at every campaign stop she makes. On Wednesday she was making three. One Lewis supporter told me Laura Bush gives the Lewis campaign a softer side after all the mudslinging in that race.

Mike Weaver needs to learn a few lessons about campaigning. He's not good at it. Watching Weaver try to work a crowd is painful. He's just not a warm and fuzzy guy who can chat up strangers. Jack Conway had some of the same problem when he ran for Congress. On the other hand, Ron Lewis is the textbook politician. The former preacher will walk up to anybody and talk about the weather, their relatives, what ails them, anything. That's where Lewis got the "nice guy" image that he hopes people will remember instead of his negative TV ads.