As the Ames straw poll approaches, Brownback goes after Romney with automated phone calls, questioning Romney’s pro-life credentials and reminding Iowa voters that his wife donated to Planned Parenthood.

Elsewhere in Iowa, Tommy Thompson suggests that he won’t be able to host an event at Ames the way he wanted to because local officials are trying to sabotage him:

Tommy Thompson’s presidential campaign has canceled an Ames street dance designed to attract motorcyclists to the Republican straw poll in a spat over fees the city planned to charge for security and other costs.
A campaign worker said that the city’s fees were too high and that it appeared local officials were trying to discourage the event.

By the way, if the Des Moines Register is accurate, the ”fees” in question were $2,000.

Governor, no offense, but nobody remembers your debate performances (didn’t you say you were sick as a dog in the first one?), no proposal, policy, or idea you’ve proposed has made even the slightest ripple, and there’s a strong suspicion that your mid-single-digits polling numbers are overstated because people are mistaking you for Fred Thompson. Do you really think you’re important enough for Ames local officials to sabotage?