Depressing, in a way...
A Giddy Heartland Gives Bush Warmth Missing in the Beltway
By JIM RUTENBERG
DUBUQUE, Iowa, May 7 — Tears were flowing on "Live With Regis & Kelly" on Friday as a woman was introduced to the man whose life her dead son's heart had saved.
But the emotional moment was abruptly halted on Channel 9 here by breaking news. It was not for Donald H. Rumsfeld's Congressional appearance (that would come later) or the severe storms brewing to the southwest.
It was, rather, for Air Force One's approach, which the news camera followed as if it was that of the space shuttle.
"You can see a smooth landing at the Dubuque Regional Airport," the anchorman, Scott Sanborn, said in a slightly hushed tone. "There is a lot of anticipation in Dubuque for the president's visit today."
That was putting it mildly. On local television and radio and in the main newspaper here, Mr. Bush's stop in this Mississippi River town, part of his three-day bus tour, has scored blanket coverage for days, much of it downright giddy.
