The Daily Five: Verizon Unionless

1. Oprah/Obama kicks off tomorrow in Des Moines at 4:30 pm ET, just in time for the evening news broadcasts to get a piece on the air. Obama campaign office in Des Moines was handing out tickets by the handful this a.m...Hillary Clinton won't bracket the day but will embark on a multi-city Iowa bus tour.....Mike Huckabee starts a three-day sojourn to South Carolina...Fred Thompson campaigns in Iowa....John Edwards has a big bus tour in Iowa planned for next week...Republicans head to Miami for Univision Debate...Giuliani does "Meet the Press" this weekend....

2. In Manchester, the Verizon Wireless Arena is unionless, and the AFL-CIO has been brought in to mediate the dispute between the Obama campaign and the stage hand union that's trying to organize there. But just two weeks ago, New Hampshire firefighters hosted an event there, and Hillary Clinton spoke at a June commencement. New Hampshire Union Leader's DiStaso runs the story as "breaking news," guaranteeing big play in the Granite State. DiStaso says labor is "deeply concerned" about Obama's decision; other labor sources say the issue has been blown out of proportion...Edwards campaign boasts that it is so union friendly, its campaign manager refuses to speak through non-union microphones........Hillary Clinton's traveling press corps stuck in Manchester Airport, misses connecting flight to Des Moines.....Obama set to air ad on special interests in Nevada, the first campaign '08 spot to hit that state, Jon Ralston reports.

3. After "The Speech," Mitt Romney receives congratulatory phone call from James Dobson....Jeri Thompson will campaign in South Carolina next week....in Ohio, Fred Thompson questions Huckabee's ignorance of the NIE...

4. What Scrutiny? Mike Huckabee has been taking incoming fire on Wayne Dumond, his ignorance of the National Intelligence Estimate, waterboarding and closing Guantanamo, immigration and in-state tuition for illegals, and even conservative criticism on his tax-and-spend record. Cable networks and national outlets are all over it; the Iowa press corps (with some exceptions) is not. Are they tired of issues? Too in love with the horse race? Trying to demonstrate their independence?

5. New Hampshire hotels sold out from Concord to Manchester for five days preceding Jan. 8 primary, but plenty of hotels in West Des Moines, Iowa have vacancies.