McCain calls out, but there's no Joe

MENTOR, Ohio — Sen. John McCain took a 220-mile, six-stop, 12-hour bus tour across northern Ohio on Thursday, a trip that had a wobbly start.

In a morning rally at Defiance Junior High School, McCain tried to enlist the help of Samuel J. "Joe the plumber" Wurzelbacher, saying, "Joe's with us today!" And then, "Joe, where are you? Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today?"

Nothing.

"Joe, I thought you were here today," McCain continued, with dimmed enthusiasm. The crowd murmured.

"All right," McCain said. "Well, you're all Joe the plumbers!"

It turned out Wurzelbacher, as he told CNN, never had received final confirmation from the McCain campaign that he was expected. The campaign, after watching McCain call out for Wurzelbacher, sent a car and rushed the Ohioan to McCain's next event, in Sandusky, where Wurzelbacher spoke.

"All right guys, I didn't prepare anything," Wurzelbacher said at a rally at the Washington Park gazebo in Sandusky. "The only thing I've been saying is just get out and get informed. ... Get involved in the government. That way we can hold our politicians accountable and take back our government. It's all ours."

In the face of his newfound celebrity, meanwhile, Wurzelbacher, 34, hired a publicity team. The Press Office in Nashville, Tenn., has assigned him three managers. Other agency clients Grand Funk Railroad and Eddie Money.

33.6 million watched Obama

NEW YORK — Nielsen Media Research estimated 33.6 million people watched Barack Obama's half-hour TV commercial Wednesday night.

The spot ran on CBS, NBC, Fox, BET, Univision, MSNBC and TV One, and aides said it cost the campaign about $4 million.

Toward the end of his 1992 campaign for president, Ross Perot ran a half-hour infomercial watched by 22.7 million people, according to Nielsen.

Obama was seen by more than 40 million people when he delivered his acceptance speech in August at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Also

Ashley Todd, 20, a volunteer for John McCain's campaign, agreed Thursday to enter a probation program for first-time offenders for falsely reporting that a Barack Obama supporter robbed and assaulted her and scratched a "B" on her cheek.

Seattle Times news services