The boy on the bus

What is it about Iowa and buses? John McCain has fired up the Straight Talk Express again this year, Mitt Romney's son Josh has converted an RV into the traveling "Mitt Mobile," and now Kansas Senator Sam Brownback has launched his own bus tour across the state.

Brownback, who's hoping a strong showing in Iowa can keep him competitive in the GOP primary, has launched a 27-town, four-day bus tour this week that will bring him from his native Parker, Kan. to Ames, Iowa, the site of the fabled Republican straw poll this summer. The journey ends Thursday at Brownback headquarters in Ames.

"It was growing up in the Heartland that I learned the conservative values and principles that will guide me as president," Brownback said in a statement. "I am thrilled to meet with families, business owners, senior citizens and the hardworking people of the Hawkeye State."

For more on Brownback's Iowa efforts and his tour, go here.