Button-maker put Sen. Larry Craig, not Larry LaRocco, on Democratic campaign button

Some Obama for President campaign buttons made for use in Idaho were printed with the wrong Larry.

A defective campaign button offered a new take on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign slogan, "Change we can believe in."

The 3-inch button was intended to show Obama next to Larry LaRocco, the Idaho Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

Rather than LaRocco's face, however, the button had a photo of Sen. Larry Craig, the Republican who is vacating the seat LaRocco wants to fill.

"That sounds like it's going to be a collector's item," said Dean Ferguson, LaRocco's communications director. "I'm sure Senator Obama appreciates Senator Craig's support."

Ferguson said the buttons were not ordered by the LaRocco campaign. They appear to have been produced by a commercial firm that makes memorabilia related to Democratic races across the country.

Bill Hall, editor emeritus of the Tribune's editorial page, was able to snag some of the buttons from the company's Web site before they were corrected.

"I didn't special order them," Hall said. "I was looking at this commercial site that had buttons from every state. I clicked on Idaho and saw one button for Larry LaRocco. I've known Larry for years, and the photo didn't look quite right. I realized it was a mistake, like finding a coin that's been damaged in the making, so I quickly ordered 10 of them."

Hall looked at the site two days later, and the photo had been corrected.

The Ohio-based button manufacturer, Tigereye Design, could not be reached for comment Friday.

Its Web site, www.democraticstuff.com, indicates the company "is committed to helping Democrats at every level" and that it "provides the highest-quality merchandise faster than anyone else in the country."

Craig, whose views on many issues differ from Obama's, is not seeking re-election following his involvement in a gay sex sting operation at a Minnesota airport restroom.

No one answered the phone late Friday at his Boise or Lewiston offices.