War Room

Clinton N.H. office still under lockdown

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- As of 5 p.m., the downtown here remains in lockdown, hours after a lone man entered the local headquarters of the Hillary Clinton campaign and took several hostages. A maze of police tape and flashing cruiser lights lines the streets, while police remain tight-lipped, saying only that the "hostage" situation is ongoing, the situation remains "fluid," and the area is "stabilized." One Rochester police officer could be overheard discussing the need for a search warrant via a cellphone.

The absence of official information has made a star of Chelsea Coull, a 19-year-old employee of the nearby Governor's Inn. She says that at around 3 p.m. a young man walked into the inn to ask for a cup of coffee. According to Coull, the man, who did not give his name, described himself as the stepson of the person who had taken the hostages in the local headquarters of Hillary Clinton's campaign. The young man told Coull that his stepfather was "in the wrong state of mind" and wanted help.

"He had been drinking for 72 hours prior to this," the sober man said of his stepfather, according to Coull. "He had asked where he could purchase roadside flares, and then this morning he said, 'Watch the news for me.'"

Coull continued, "He said that his stepfather is harmless. All he has is roadside flares on him. And he is in the wrong state of mind. He just wants help."

Police have confirmed none of this. But they have said to expect another press conference at around 7 p.m., local time.

McAuliffe's choice for veep not Clinton?
The former chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign seems to say he wants someone else to be Barack Obama's running mate.
Quote of the day
Chuck Hagel wants everyone to step back, take a deep breath and stop talking about the surge.
From a glass house, the straight talker throws stones
McCain's campaign is now criticizing Obama for having the temerity to make speeches outside the country -- of course, McCain did the same thing just a month ago.
Report: More than 200,000 watched Obama
The crowd for Barack Obama's speech in Berlin was reportedly his largest ever.

Current Salon Politics Stories

’08 Update

18:56 EDT, July 24, 2008
McAuliffe's choice for veep not Clinton? The former chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign seems to say he wants someone else to be Barack Obama's running mate.
War Room
17
18:40 EDT, July 24, 2008
Quote of the day Chuck Hagel wants everyone to step back, take a deep breath and stop talking about the surge.
War Room
17:39 EDT, July 24, 2008
From a glass house, the straight talker throws stones McCain's campaign is now criticizing Obama for having the temerity to make speeches outside the country -- of course, McCain did the same thing just a month ago.
War Room
7
16:57 EDT, July 24, 2008
Report: More than 200,000 watched Obama The crowd for Barack Obama's speech in Berlin was reportedly his largest ever.
War Room
40
15:50 EDT, July 24, 2008
Obama had cheering Germans; McCain had German sausage With their choice of counterprogramming for Obama's Berlin speech, Republicans try to portray McCain as more focused on the U.S. than Obama is.
War Room
9

Salon Politics Blogs

Recent Posts

Quote of the day
Chuck Hagel wants everyone to step back, take a deep breath and stop talking about the surge.
From a glass house, the straight talker throws stones
McCain's campaign is now criticizing Obama for having the temerity to make speeches outside the country -- of course, McCain did the same thing just a month ago.
Report: More than 200,000 watched Obama
The crowd for Barack Obama's speech in Berlin was reportedly his largest ever.
Previous Posts…

War Room RSS Feed

Posts by date

July 2008
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031

About War Room

War Room is written and edited by Alex Koppelman, with contributions from Salon reporters around the country.

Daily Newsletter

Get Salon in your mailbox!