White House hopeful Barack Obama brought his motorcade to a halt Friday to dash out and buy a dozen white roses on his 16th wedding anniversary prior to a "romantic dinner" with wife Michelle.

Following a campaign rally, the lengthy convoy of police outriders, Secret Service cars, staff vans and press buses ground to a stop behind Obama's black-tinted SUV outside "Penny's Flowers."

The Democrat spent 20 minutes inside, chatting with shop employees, picking out the roses and making a short declaration to accompanying reporters welcoming the adoption  in Congress of a financial rescue package.

"These are beautiful, I like the arrangement and everything, it looks nice," he told employee Mary Darcy after she handed him the roses arranged with baby's breath and wrapped in cellophane.

The 47-year-old presidential candidate planned to present the flowers to his wife ahead of their anniversary meal in Chicago Friday evening.

Outside the florists, Obama delighted onlookers waiting behind yellow police tape by stopping to shake hands before getting back in his Chevrolet Suburban.

But barely two minutes later, the motorcade had halted again with Obama unable to resist getting out to meet a crowd of young schoolchildren lined up at the roadside, screaming in delight at the candidate's unexpected arrival.
In Michigan on Thursday, the Illinois senator told supporters that he had "a gift all picked out" for his wife of 16 years.

He said he was looking forward to a "romantic dinner" -- although the attendant Secret Service agents, press pool and inevitable crowd of onlookers might spoil the intimacy.