Tailgating, Iowa Style

Kerry and the "Beer Bong"

By MARK LEIBOVICH
Published: September 19, 2006
Politicians face all manner of peril whenever they wade into, er, festive environments.

Rodney White/Des Moines Register
John Kerry was offered a "beer bong" before the Iowa State football game Saturday.

Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, learned this lesson on Saturday at a tailgate party before the Iowa-Iowa State football game. A young woman hoisted a “beer bong” to his face — and the moment was duly documented by a photograph in The Des Moines Register.

“Beer bong” refers to a tubular, funnel-like device deployed to “inhale” large quantities of beer in a few seconds.

But did Mr. Kerry actually inhale?

“Definitely not,” said David Wade, the senator’s spokesman. “Actually, since we were in Iowa, it was probably filled with ethanol.”

taken from the NYTimes