What a crazy week.

We were down to two full-time reporters and a few part-time interns.  It’s never easy filling our news hole each day, but it’s miraculous to do it with such a small staff. But our guys really delivered this week and I’m incredibly proud of them.

Still, there was a moment Tuesday night when I was struck with sheer panic. Columnist Joe Bell e-mailed me saying he wanted to take the week off. I barely had enough news stories to fill the paper as it was, but now I had another hole.

So I asked Joe to reconsider. He said he’d be happy to, but he was lacking ideas, which is why he wanted to take a pass this week. Also, Joe had just gotten back from a trip back easy for his birthday (On the Fourth of July) so he was a bit tired. Having been on four planes myself last month I could relate.

I convinced Joe that he ought to write about Barack Obama’s planned visit to Newport Beach on Sunday. My pitch was it seemed odd that we were being told that it would be closed to the press, but I was given to understand that the presidential contender had opened up all his fundraisers to at least a pool reporter. Was he backing down from that promise?

Joe’s a veteran reporter so naturally he jumped right on that scrap. Problem was he needed some contact numbers do get his reporting started. I was swamped, but I wanted to get to the bottom of this quandary because we would like to cover Obama’s appearance Sunday and because, like most reporters, I love controversy. I knew Joe was more than capable of finding out.

I thought it would be easy to track down a phone number for Obama’s press contacts. I thought wrong. Used to be you couldn’t avoid these politicians. Getting the phone number of some politician’s election HQ was as simple as calling 411. Not anymore.

Finally, I had to call a friend of mine at the Sun-Times in Chicago, figuring he had some inside dope on contacting the Obama machine. He told me the best way was through e-mail. I guess I shouldn’t scoff. Best way to get me is via the e-mail, too. He told me who to shoot an e-mail to, so I did. Amazingly, he quickly responded and CC’d the California flack on my query: Would the fundraiser be open to the press? They said they’d get back to me. (To get a reply from Obama’s camp so quickly as news broke about Jesse Jackson’s nutty performance on Fox yesterday shows how fast their quick-response team actually is).

Joe did me better. He tracked down some phone numbers, but didn’t get any response. Later, another friend at the Sun-Times tracked down the direct line to Obama’s press contacts in Chicago. I called again today and got a littler closer. They said, yes, it would be open to a pool reporter, but I’m guessing I won’t be that reporter! They did, though, tease me with the possibility of an e-mail interview with the Democrat. They said that was the best they could offer. They couldn’t know I’d sure be happy to get that. I would love to ask him if he’s here just to take our money or if he thinks he has a legitimate shot to win votes in reliably Republican Orange County.

So we’ll see. If I hear more I’ll let you know.

Until then, I owe Joe a beer. Same goes for my reporter friends in Chicago next I’m there in August.

Brady bought pizza for our troopers today at lunch so I think I’m covered with them.

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