Chicago’s Obama Party

It’s been sold out for days. Chicago is throwing the world’s biggest party to celebrate an Obama victory in Grant Park, where the president-elect will acknowledge the verdict of the voters. With every ticket long gone and going for silly prices on eBay, a spontaneous spillover party is being arranged with an uninvited guest list expected to reach more than a million. The local authorities cannot disguise their unease at so many people converging on the city center, though the Secret Service remains calm. “We do this for a living,” said spokesman Ed Donovan. It is expected to be a cold, cold night, which might encourage some to bring a flask of something. Hot chocolate, apparently, is allowed; booze is banned. What happened to the Champagne?