If anything could trigger doubts about Barack Obama's reasoning abilities, it is his decision to pour campaign resources into Utah — where George W. Bush swept every county in 2004 — all of them except for two with more than 55 percent of the vote.

Nikki Norton and her few dozen Obama volunteers learned last week that paid campaign staffers would be parachuting in this month:

Even if we don't win Utah we definitely want to create a downstream effect for local candidates. It could also force McCain to defend Utah; he might have to split his resources for a state like ours where he probably wouldn't have needed to before. And our volunteers had a big effect on border swing states, particularly in rural areas in Nevada, and that was a big benefit for Obama.

Time reports Utah is a cog in Obama's pledge to run a 50-state campaign, may turn out to be a brilliant strategy:

But few people, even in his own staff, thought he'd actually invest in every single state. As it turns out, Obama's phenomenal fundraising has allowed him to deliver on his bold promise and place campaign staff in every one of the 50 states. . . . The strategy could force McCain to defend Republican strongholds, may help those lonely Democratic candidates in so-called Red States and could further expand Obama's already massive volunteer and donor bases.

Who knows? After decades of being taken for granted, Utah might respond to finally being courted.

Above: Obama during an impromptu stop at Kimball Junction last summer.