By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen (center) and other supporters of the Bush-Cheney Republican ticket gather Thursday in the Green Township home of the Rajagapol family for a conference call from Vice President Dick Cheney. The Cincinnati Enquirer/TONY JONES

MONFORT HEIGHTS - It might have been the political equivalent of a Tupperware party, but Vice President Dick Cheney told Cincinnati supporters that the stakes in this year's presidential election are the highest in a generation.

Thursday night's "parties for the president" - 5,000 of them across the country - were an attempt to strengthen the Republican base and build a core of grass-roots volunteers early in the campaign. As a crucial battleground, Ohio hosted more parties - 430 - than any other state.

A party at the Green Township home of Pakkiri "Raj" Rajagapol was one of the largest, with 150 people turning out for a cookout, corn hole and the chance to listen to Cheney on a speaker phone.

Five attendees - all in battleground states - got to ask a question of the vice president. Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael K. Allen, the Southwestern Ohio coordinator for the Bush-Cheney campaign, was one of them.

Allen's question: Given the number of Ohio reservists serving in Iraq, is the Bush administration committed to the June 30 date for transfer of sovereignty to Iraq?

"We think it's very important, Mike, to stick to that schedule," Cheney replied. "This will be a difficult time over the next two months heading to June 30 ... because the enemy will do everything they can over the next 60 days to try to derail this process."