Mr. President: Where was Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau's kiss?

It's been my observation that President Obama doesn't usually miss an opportunity to give women, powerful or not, a little kiss on the cheek as a greeting. But Monday, when Obama was in Minneapolis patting our Police Department on the back for reducing youth gunplay while promoting his campaign against gun violence, I didn't see Harteau bussed at all. Not when she introduced the prez to an audience of law enforcement officials; not after Obama finished his speech and shook her hand and others on his way out.

Since I might not have seen all their interactions, I left the chief a voice mail and she responded by leaving me one:

"I see you have a question wondering if I received a kiss on the cheek from the president. I'm a little bummed because I didn't. I got a very nice hug, actually a couple of them, after the introduction and when he came through the line and, of course, when we had our private meeting. That's the second time I've seen him in a week. We certainly are getting to know each other better, but now when I see him I'm going to ask, 'Where was my kiss, Mr. President?' I'll talk to you later, C.J."

Still waiting for a response from @BarackObama to my Twitter inquiry regarding this weighty matter.

WCCO's super promo

WCCO-TV meteorology anchor Chris Shaffer knew the shower was coming -- he just wasn't told the truth about when.

Shaffer seemed surprised when he got drenched, winning-coach style, with a cooler of water by anchor Frank Vascellaro and sports anchor Mark Rosen during a "Game On" promo that was in heavy rotation on Super Bowl Sunday. Anchor Amelia Santaniello is also in it, stepping back just in time not to get soaked.

"They said take three ... not the second take," Shaffer told me via Twitter. "Fooled me ... My Zubaz are still wet."

That's probably what Shaffer deserves for changing into Zubaz.

This is a first-rate promo. WCCO even received permission from CBS to use its familiar NFL theme as background music in the 30-second spot. Scenes include Santaniello bumping butts with Shaffer, Santaniello jumping into a club chair that Vascellaro is exiting, Vascellaro throwing a football, a football coming dangerously close to Shaffer's ear, and Rosen filling up on guacamole.

I was astounded to learn that it was the concept of the same WCCO team -- creative director Casey Kespohl and promotion and production director Scott Wooldridge -- responsible for those ridiculous, humor-void promos for the morning show that featured a human waffle, coffee cup, toothbrush and alarm clock.

"I remember you made fun of that one on Twitter," WCCO-TV news director Mike Caputa said Tuesday. "They're clever. We hear from who loved it, and some people who didn't."

I suggested on Twitter that the person responsible for the personified waffle, et al., find out what a great local promo looks like by checking out the "Fans of Our Viewers" spots by Fox 9's creative manager Kevin Myers. On Twitter, where Myers' handle is @MyFanSanity, I described Myers' work as brilliant and charming. I get a kick out of the one with the fan in the hot tub who receives an unexpected visit from anchors Karen Scullin and Tom Halden, in a suit, who both get wet for the cause.

"You're too kind," Myers responded. "We consider WCCO our chief 'promo competition.' Their work is usually top notch."

That Waffle&Co work didn't come close to being top notch in my opinion, and I'd have been embarrassed to be in those spots. But with the "Game On" spots, there's been a return to creative respectability.

"We'll probably bring it back for football next year," said Caputa.

That's a smart use of resources. "We did it in-house and we rented a camera. We rented it for the day," said Caputa. "You've probably seen those slow-motion cameras that they use for different commercials now. We thought how fun would that be. It turned out great.

"That and the 'Thank you' one [another spot]. We saw the CBS one and thought there was a way to be inspired by that and make our own version."

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen Thursday mornings on Fox 9.