"Are You Guys Nuts?"

My old friend Ron Fournier writes a brilliant piece on the Iowa waitress who did or did not get a tip after Senator Clinton visited. Scores of inquiries about the alleged snub probably only proved what this woman thought all along:

"I don't get it," Esterday said. "There's a war going on and the price of oil is going crazy. Look at all the toys being recalled right now. Just look at the news! Isn't there something else you can be writing about?"

I am no fan of Senator Clinton, but it's impossible not to relate to this woman's lament. There is so much meaningless about political coverage -- stories written essentially for insiders, by insiders, read by insiders. It's interesting if you love it, and meaningless if you don't.

And if you want to get a better sense of Ron's passion for learning how real Americans are connected -- or not -- with their elected leaders, check out his book, "Applebee's America."