Bob Barr needs a smoke

Republicans around St. Paul rock thick gold wedding rings. They're that symbol for faith and family and service and stuff. Most are nondescript. But Bob Barr rocks the most blinging ring out of any presidential candidate, or former GOP member.

Here are the details: the thing is fat and wide and the letters "COHIBA" wrap around it. "The real kind from Havana," he adds.

And after an quick interview with citypages, the man told us he was jonesin' for a cigar.

His campaign manager, Steve Stinton (co-founder of Air America) said it feels like they've been around here for 6 months, even though most got in last Monday. "It's been non-stop," he says. "We're aging like a fine wine." While Stinton wears a normal wedding band, he does rock a giant gold Rolex watch. We're thinking it's a quiet nod to Ma$e.

Anyhow, we quickly told Barr and his staff about Golden Leaf Tobacco, just down the street. And we told him how folks can even smoke inside the shop. (If a company's business is 95% tobacco related, it gets a free pass from the law.)

Barr's entire staff felt this was the greatest news since the latest round of Zogby polls, showing Barr with 4-6% of the vote. But the candidate's only question was, "Can you also get a drink there?"