When the going gets tough, pols get on the bus

The federal government had nearly defaulted on its debt and Barack Obama’s approval ratings had dropped to an all-time low when the president decided last August to board a bus bound for the Midwest.

Like many presidents and candidates before him, Obama ditched his fancy jet — in this case, Air Force One — traded in his suit coat and tie, rolled up his shirt sleeves and took his message straight to small-town America.