Obama Leaves Campaign Trail to Visit Typical White Grandmother

Apparently Madelyn Payne Dunham never recovered from injuries suffered after her grandson threw her under the bus.

Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama is canceling nearly all his campaign events Thursday and Friday to fly to Hawaii to visit his suddenly ill 85-year-old grandmother, his spokesman said.

Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday that Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, who helped raise him, was released from the hospital late last week. But he said her health had deteriorated "to the point where her situation is very serious."

Obama was expected to resume campaigning on Saturday, though Gibbs was unsure where.

Obama events originally planned for Madison, Wis., and Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday will be replaced with one in Indianapolis before he makes the long flight to Hawaii.

Gibbs said it was still being decided whether surrogates would fill in for Obama. His wife, Michelle, for instance, was not accompanying him to Hawaii.

By all means, get Michelle out there more.

In all seriousness, we wish Mrs. Dunham well. There certainly is never a good time for such occasions.