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Storm puts US campaign on ice
12/12/2007 10:48 - (SA)
Des Moines - A frigid maelstrom of ice and snow robbed 2008 presidential election hopefuls of a priceless day on the campaign trail on Tuesday, just 23 days before Iowa's leadoff nominating contests.
Campaigns ground to a halt, as the midwestern state was all but cut off from the rest of the United States with its main airport closed and many roads impassable under a treacherous glaze of ice.
Former president Bill Clinton was forced to cancel a series of appearances on behalf of his wife, under-pressure Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Hazardous conditions also forced one of her top rivals John Edwards to temporarily halt his eight-day bus tour across Iowa, which holds its fabled caucuses on January 3, formally kicking off the 2008 nominating campaign.
Fellow Democrat Barack Obama's wife Michelle, was also forced to pull out of a set of campaign events for her husband.
The interruptions were especially aggravating for the candidates, because they will lose several prime campaign days over the Christmas period, as the presidential race encompasses the holiday season for the first time ever.
On the Republican side, surging front-runner Mike Huckabee found the weather did what his rivals could not do - force his campaign off the road.
The former Arkansas governor cancelled a clutch of appearances in Iowa, one day before all the Republican candidates are due to converge on the state for a crucial last debate before the caucuses on Wednesday.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who lead for months in Iowa but now finds himself behind Huckabee in several polls, did manage to campaign, as he had already flown into Des Moines before the chill descended.
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