NYE '08: Raucous Before The Caucus

DES MOINES --- After Hillary's event wrapped up, my tireless photographer and I trekked over to the New Year's Eve Des Moines media party.

This had never been done before. But since there has never been a caucus this early, the Democratic and Republican parties of Iowa decided they had to have some way to keep all of us mediatypes amused New Year's Eve.

They came up with "Raucous Before The Caucus." And it turned out to be bipartisanship at its finest.

For $25 bucks, you got to hang out with other overworked, underpaid (well, not all underpaid) media folk . . eat, drink . . . and be merry.

I must say the event was a blast. I got to run into some of my heroes, including Marc Ambinder over at The Atlantic Monthly, who took down my e-mail address and suggested he might add the KY3 Political Notebook to his blogroll. (He must've been drinkin'.)

But besides the networking -- the food was tremendous. They had everything you could want. And open bar, doesn't hurt;)

It's pretty sweet toasting to two Iowa Congressmen who boast about helping pay your the bar tab. No wonder Iowa is so touchy about its first in the nation status! The caucus is an economic boom this town can't afford to lose.

Hope you enjoy the fun pics of photographer Takahisa Yokoyama (who does the hard work) and myself.

Remember, politics is serious . . . but it's also damn fun.

Happy New Year kids;)