Even candidates need junk food

Sen. Barack Obama took a few minutes out of his busy campaign schedule to do a little shopping in Pennsylvania yesterday.

Here's how the Wall Street Journal described it: "He dropped in on the Shop-Rite supermarket in East Norriton Township, where he did a lap of the store, beginning with the produce aisle, with red plastic shopping basket in hand. He grabbed gala apples, a bag of baked cheese curls, a bottle of water, and a package of cupcakes -- Tastykake butterscotch krimpets. His grand total: $9.40."

The Democratic presidential candidate's grocery selection probably won't help him with the health conscious voters, but Obama is trying to appeal to middle America in his bid to compete in Pennsylvania, which holds its primary on April 22 to award 158 delegates. 

Obama did better than former President George H.W. Bush did when he toured an Orlando supermarket display in 1992 and seemed to be "amazed" by the technology of the barcode scanner, according to the New York Times account. Conservative media outlets tried to debunk the story, but "the episode contributed to the sense that the president didn't connect to ordinary Americans," said the Journal.