Frugal Hoosiers blog Thursday disputed that the Obama campaign has 14 or more offices in Indiana, claiming that "A visual survey of a majority of the Obama offices around the state reveals that they are nothing more than an assortment of vacant spaces, offices for other candidates, and county party headquarters. In other words, the Obama presence in Indiana is a myth..."

Advance Indiana picked up the item and claimed that the campaign is nothing but smoke and mirrors, and that the press (which has reported Obama has 17 offices in the state to McCain's 0) has been hoodwinked.

Here is the response from Jonathan Swain, communications director for Obama in Indiana:

"Barack Obama's Campaign for Change has 17 field offices open, in addition to our headquarters in Indianapolis. Each of those offices have numerous grassroots activities going on throughout the week and are staffed by campaign workers and volunteers seven days a week. In addition to that, we have dozens of grassroots activities going on in communities where we don't have offices, including many of the more than 100 'Cookouts for Change' held since last Sunday by local supporters to give others in the community the chance to find out how they can get engaged in the campaign and help deliver Indiana for Barack Obama on Nov. 4."

Frugal Hoosiers also ran a photo of an empty Muncie office; Swain says the photo is not an Obama headquarters, nor was it used during the primary.

My response: Barack Obama, in word and deed, has been an inspiration to many Americans in a campaign that has been unprecedented in my lifetime; apparently it is impossible for some camps to accept that phenomenon. Hence they pander in rumor, etc. If nothing else, this is a dishonor to both Obama and John McCain. The election should be decided on the issues, not false reporting and slander.

As for the groundswell that continues on Obama's behalf, every other day or so, I get email from Obama organizers in Indiana regarding an event -- a picnic, a meeting or just an opportunity to watch the candidate speak on TV during the convention, for example. I am well aware that the polls report the election is close, that Obama has problems with white voters, etc. But the enthusiasm remains as intact as the 17 offices in the state.

Here are the links to FH and AI:

http://frugalhoosiers.typepad.com/

http://www.advanceindiana.com/