Opinion: It’s baffling: Obama’s waffles a hot eBay item or not?

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As voters throughout Pennsylvania dutifully trooped to the polls today, no doubt thinking the eyes of the nation were glued on them, it turns out a more pressing drama was being played on ... Ebay.

The uneaten portion of the waffle-and-sausage breakfast that Barack Obama was chowing down Monday at a Scranton diner when -- in his view -- he was rudely interrupted by a press question, showed up on the auction site for several hours (the offer included the plate and cutlery used for the meal).

What ultimately transpired, as with so many aspects of politics, remains a bit murky at the moment.

The Scranton newspaper, understandably wanting to stay on top of a story unfolding in its backyard, reported that after bids topped $20,000 (!!!), the fellow who had stashed away the food, one John Oakes, had decided to pull the plug on the sale. (More on where Oakes was coming from can be read here.)

But according to ABC News -- which had four reporters working on the story -- the unusual memorabilia ended up being sold for 99 cents (not quite as good a deal as it sounds because, the ABC blog asserts, the buyer will also have to pay the $6 Postal Service priority mail charge).

Who to believe?

This we know, because The Times’ Pete Nicholas was on the case. At a diner this morning in Pittsburgh, Obama ordered pancakes and left not a morsel. Asked by the ever-vigilant media why no waffles today, Obama replied: ‘Because they say their pancakes were the best.’

No follow-up on whether that proved to be the case.

This afternoon, in Philadelphia, he did what you are supposed to in that city, down a huge cheesesteak with onions. But he tried -- and failed -- to give away his french fries.

Obviously, word of their potential monetary value had not hit the streets yet.

-- Don Frederick