« July 2008 | Main | September 2008 »

Obama 'Tired of Listening to Folks Who Talk Tough and Act Dumb' on Foreign Policy

August 31, 2008 9:19 PM

"We are going to change our foreign policy," said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to a crowd of 17,500 in Battle Creek, Mich., this evening, "because I am tired of listening to folks who talk tough and act dumb."

Hmmm…Whom could the senator be talking about?

"If John McCain wants to have a debate about foreign policy," Obama continued, "I am happy to have that debate."

-- Jake Tapper and Andy Fies

August 31, 2008 in 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (328) | TrackBack (0)

Ferraro Happy About Palin, Won't Reveal for Whom She's Voting

August 31, 2008 8:32 PM

Former vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro told National Public Radio's Jacki Lyden that she was happy to see Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- who mentioned Ferraro in her remarks Friday -- on the GOP ticket.

"For 24 years I've been saying, 'It's great to be the first, but y'know, I don't want to be the only,'" Ferraro said. "And so now it is wonderful to see a woman on a national ticket."

Ferraro said "this election to me is important" because "one way or another we're going to see a historic first."

She said she spoke to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to wish him a happy birthday -- Ferraro's birthday was earlier this week, she turned 73 -- and she told McCain to give Palin her congratulations.

"He said, 'Why don't you speak to her?'" Ferraro recounted. So she did. "She was very, very nice and I do congratulate her."

Ferraro defended Palin from charges that the Alaska governor -- who got her first passport last year -- doesn't have enough foreign policy experience.

"What she doesn't know she will learn very quickly, she seems smart enough," Ferraro said.

As for whom Ferraro will vote, the former congresswoman from Queens, N.Y., said, "I'm like one of you people, I'm sitting here working on my, on my decision. Y'know I'm a Democrat and I am a person who feels very strongly about issues that are facing this country so when I go into the booth I will make my decision."

- jpt

August 31, 2008 in 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (189) | TrackBack (0)

Tony the Tiger Is Apparently a Democrat

August 31, 2008 8:22 PM

At a rally in Battle Creek, Mich., just now, Mark Schauer -- the Senate minority leader running for Congress -- presented the Barack Obama-Joe Biden ticket with a special box of Frosted Flakes that he says Kellogg's, which is headquartered here, put together. (Photo by ABC News' Sunlen Miller)

- jpt

August 31, 2008 in 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (57) | TrackBack (0)

One Thousand Miles Away, Obama Deals with Hurricane Gustav

August 31, 2008 7:18 PM

TOLEDO, OHIO – Before introducing the man at the top of the ticket at an economic forum on the roof of the Toledo Public Library Sunday, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., asked supporters to pray for those about the feel the wrath of Hurricane Gustav.

"It’s a magnificent day today, but a lot of our friends down in New Orleans, where my daughter went to school, are battened down for something that may be even more devastating than what happened in Katrina,” Biden said. “Pray God it won’t. At mass this morning, 7:15 mass, I along with a lot of other people prayed for those folks down there, so I mean it sincerely.”

It’s a tricky thing, asking for votes at jubilant campaign rallies while thousands of miles South a natural disaster looms. Biden and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., have decided to handle it by mentioning Gustav frequently on the campaign trail, activating supporters, phoning federal, state, and local officials to be debriefed and to offer help – and otherwise to campaign as previously scheduled.

“I hope it doesn’t sound corny, but say a little prayer,” Biden continued in Toledo. “Say a little prayer, because these folks have been through, you know, they’ve been through hell. And pray God this Gustav decides to take a turn or something but it doesn’t look real good now.”

Obama earlier in the day mentioned Gustav as well.

“There is enormous urgency in making sure that people take the evacuation seriously,” he told reporters after leaving church in Lima, Ohio.

To that end, Obama called in to four New Orleans, La., TV stations and one radio station to urge residents to leave.

“It appears that we have made progress and the coordination among state, local, and federal governments are better than with Katrina,” Obama told WGNO-TV, the ABC News affiliate. He said his “main message is for everybody to follow instructions, you must evacuate, you can't take a chance. If you do not evacuate, you put yourself and others in danger.”

Obama has continued to hammer away at the positions taken by his rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, on issues such as the economy.  A big, jubilant campaign rally was held Saturday night in Dublin, Ohio; another one will be held this evening in Battle Creek, Michigan.

But Obama has assiduously avoided anything that could be interpreted as politicizing the storm.

As recently as Thursday night’s nomination acceptance speech Thursday night Obama was hammering the Bush administration for its inadequate response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – “We are more compassionate,” he said, “than a government…that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes” – today his comments were all about how the government has learned its lessons.

He has in the past attacked McCain for opposing various post-Katrina funding bills, but today he told WGNO-TV that he and McCain agree on pushing FEMA for immediate relief for the area.

Asked if McCain’s visit to the region was appropriate, Obama said, “I think that with a big storm like this raises bipartisan concerns and I think for John to want to find out what is going on is fine.”

As for whether or not he would visit, Obama said, “The thing that I am always concerned about is, in the middle of the storm is, whether we are drawing resources away from folks on the ground, because the Secret Service and various security requirements sometimes it pulls police and fire and other departments away from concentrating on the job. I am assuming that where (McCain) went that wasn’t an issue and we are going to try to stay clear of the area until things have settled down and then we will probably try to figure out how we can be as helpful as possible.”

Over the weekend, Obama has phoned Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, Sen. Mary Landrieu, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and FEMA director David Paulison. Aides said he was mainly trying to learn the latest about the path of the storm, gauge the work that had been done to help evacuate the old, infirm, and people with special needs, and to assess how well federal, state and local authorities are cooperating.

The Democrat also offered any assistance he could, though practically speaking there is little a first-term junior senator from Illinois can do right now.

Obama today said he called upon on his network of volunteers and donors to mobilize to help citizens of the Gulf Coast.

“Since we’ve got a network of volunteers, donors all across the country is to try to coordinate with officials to figure out what will be most useful if we can get volunteers, if we can get donations where they can be directed,” he told reporters. “We probably won’t know entirely who needs the most help and what is the best way to do it without getting in people’s way, until we actually see what happens over the next 48 hours.”

By early afternoon, a blog post on the Obama-Biden website told supporters how they could help.

- jpt

August 31, 2008 in 2008: Democrats, McCain, John, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (143) | TrackBack (0)

Oh, That Joe! (Number 4 in a Series) -- Biden on Difference Between Him and Palin: "She's Good Looking"

August 31, 2008 2:52 PM

In his introduction of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., just now on the rooftop of the Toldeo Public Library, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., commented on the pulchritude of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain's newly-named running mate.

Palin was once a contestant in the Miss Alaska contest, and no less an authority than Rush Limbaugh has called her a "babe," though of course Gov. Palin is a governor and former mayor and mother and I'll bet this is the last time Biden comments about her looks.

"From our perspective the whole deal is how does the government help you get back up without getting in the way?" Biden asked. "There's a gigantic - gigantic -- difference between John McCain and Barack Obama, and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent. And that is that - "

The crowd laughed.

"Well there's obvious differences," Biden said, beginning to ham it up. "She's good looking," he said, laughing. "You know there's obvious differences. But there's a whole lot -- "

A woman shouted: "you're gorgeous!" to Biden.

"Where's that person?" Biden asked. "Who said that? Who said that? Would you say that again for my wife?"

"You're gorgeous!" the woman yelled.

"Oh, I tell you what, would you make sure Jill hears that?" Biden joked. "You know what I mean? I just want to make sure she hears that. I haven't heard that in a long, long, long time. And hanging out with this lean, young-looking guy is making me feel pretty old, you know what I mean?"

Biden continued his riff. "I thought I was in pretty good shape til I hung out with this guy, you know what I mean?"

"Joe's looking good," said Obama.

"Yeah, I'm looking good alright, I tell you what," Biden said. "But look, folks, let me end with, on a serious note here. On a serious note -- I was a pretty good football player, man," he said to Obama "We oughta talk a little bit after this. Okay? --But look, on a very serious note ..."

He then continued with his very serious note.

-- Jake Tapper and Matt Jaffe

August 31, 2008 in 2008: Democrats, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (554) | TrackBack (0)

McCain Says Palin a Better Leader than Obama

August 31, 2008 12:37 PM

On Fox News Sunday this morning (watch HERE)  Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that his new running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has been a better leader than his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois.

"What this brings is a spirit of reform and change that is vital now in our nation's capital," McCain said. "Eighty four percent of the American people think the country's on the wrong track. In our Party, we have corruption. We have former members of Congress residing in federal prison, so it's not surprising to me that we've seen an incredible invigoration around our Party and around the nation, not just Republicans, but Democrats. By the way, in the last day and a half or whatever it's been, we have raised $4 million on the Internet. I wish I had taken her a month ago."

McCain said that Palin has "got the right judgment. She doesn't think, like Senator Obama does, that Iran is a minor irritant," McCain said, stating something as fact that Obama never ever came close to saying.

"She knows that the surge worked and succeeded and she supported that," McCain continued. "Senator Obama still, still to this day, refuses to acknowledge that the surge has succeeded. She's been commander-in-chief of the Alaska Guard that has served back and back. In fact, as you know, she's got a son who's getting ready to go. But she's had the judgment on these issues that Senator Obama, he's had all the wrong judgments. Governor Palin understands these issues, and she understands the challenges that we face."

"She's had twelve years of elected office experience" -- McCain said, including her 10 years as Mayor of Wasilla, an Anchorage suburb with less than 1/10th the population of the arena Obama spoke to Thursday night.

McCain said that Palin's experience included "travelling to Kuwait, including being involved in these issues, and look, I'm so proud that she has displayed the kind of judgment and she has the experience and judgment as an executive. She's run a huge economy up there in the state of Alaska. Twenty percent of our energy comes from the state of Alaska, and energy is obviously one of the key issues for our nation's security."

McCain said that "as governor, she has had enormous responsibilities, none of which Senator Obama had. When she was in government, he was a community organizer. When she was taking tough positions against her own party, Senator Obama was voting present 130 times in the state legislature. On every tough issue, whatever it was, she was taking them on. That's the kind of judgment that I'm confident that we need in Washington."

- jpt

August 31, 2008 in 2008: Democrats, 2008: Republicans, John McCain, McCain, John, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (387) | TrackBack (0)

Oh, That Joe! (Number 3 in a Series)

August 31, 2008 9:53 AM

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., stopped by a Marengo, Ohio, fruit and produce stand next to an expansive soy bean field to get some corn on Saturday. 

Joined by former Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Gov. Ted Strickland, Biden talked to locals at the stand, really just a small truck, run by Sharon Hildebrand, where corn sells for four bucks for a dozen ears.

"What color M&M's you like?" Biden asked Luke, a local wearing an M&M NASCAR hat.

The boy said he liked red the best.

"I like the red ones best, too," Biden said. "I like the orange ones, too."

Biden then spotted three young girls.

"You have gorgeous eyes," Biden said. "All of you do. Holy mackerel! Look at those eyes, they're like beacons!"

"This is the number one thing," Biden said, "how old are you?"

The responses: 10, 11, 13.

"No boys 'til you're thirty," Biden said, "no boys till you're 30 years old."

He used the "no boys till you're 30" line again on the father of a 15-year old girl.

"That's what I keep trying but it's a losing battle," said the father.

"It's a losing battle with my daughter, too," Biden responded, referring to his 27-year-old daughter Ashley.

"I keep telling her they're highly over-rated," said the dad.

Biden also chatted up a local man who shares Obama's August 4 birthday.

"By the way, you know what I found out today?" Biden told him. "You're not gonna believe this. They went back and showed me my Irish lineage and his and they said we're related," referencing Sen. Barack 0bama, D-Illinois.

"Oh, you're kidding," said the older man.

"The bad news is that means I'm related to Cheney," Biden joked, alluding to the fact that Obama and Vice President Cheney are distantly related.

Before he left, Biden -- brandishing his plastic bag of corn -- told the crowd that, "I'm taking the corn and getting the hell out of here. I'm not giving anybody this corn!"

- Jake Tapper and Matt Jaffe

August 31, 2008 in 2008: Democrats, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (77) | TrackBack (0)

McCain Camp Denies that Sarah Palin was a Member of the Buchanan Brigades in the 1990s

August 30, 2008 2:23 PM

A meme is developing out there among liberals that Gov. Sarah Palin was a supporter of Pat Buchanan in the 1990s, a charge that the McCain-Palin campaign strongly denies.

The evidence is the following, as first noticed by "The Nation": in an Associated Press story from July 17, 1999, titled, "Buchanan takes conservative message to Fairbanks."

"Pat Buchanan brought his conservative message of a smaller government and an America First foreign policy to Fairbanks and Wasilla on Friday as he continued a campaign swing through Alaska….In Wasilla, Buchanan took some shots at the "Republican establishment," saying it was willing to cast aside conservative ideals in a zeal to ensure the nomination for Bush.  'I'm hoping the people of Alaska will disagree that we need a candidate anointed by Washington, D.C.,' he said to a group of three dozen supporters. Among those sporting Buchanan buttons were Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin and state Sen. Jerry Ward, R-Anchorage."

Palin wrote to the AP that her presence at the rally and her wearing a Buchanan button were merely ways to welcome Buchanan to Wasilla, not endorsements of his candidacy.

But that's not quite how Buchanan remembers it.

Buchanan told Chris Matthews yesterday that Palin "was a brigader in 1996 as was her husband, Chris, they were at a fundraiser for me, she's a terrific gal, she's a rebel reformer."

McCain-Palin campaign spokesman Michael Goldfarb writes: "Governor Palin has never worked for any effort to elect Pat Buchanan -- that assertion is completely false. As Mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin did attend an event with Mr. Buchanan in her home town where reports described her wearing a Buchanan for President button. She wore the button as a courtesy to Mr. Buchanan and in an effort to make him feel welcome during his visit, but immediately sent a letter to the editor of her local paper clarifying that the button should not have been interpreted as an endorsement of any kind."

Buchanan of course has a long history of quite questionable comments, particularly about Jews.

Rep. Bob Wexler, D-Florida, took the AP report, and said "John McCain's decision to select a vice presidential running mate that endorsed Pat Buchanan for president in 2000 is a direct affront to all Jewish Americans. Pat Buchanan is a Nazi sympathizer with a uniquely atrocious record on Israel, even going as far as to denounce bringing former Nazi soldiers to justice and praising Adolf Hitler for his 'great courage.' At a time when standing up for Israel's right to self-defense has never been more critical, John McCain has failed his first test of leadership and judgment by selecting a running mate who has aligned herself with a leading anti-Israel voice in American politics. It is frightening that John McCain would select someone one heartbeat away from the presidency who supported a man who embodies vitriolic anti-Israel sentiments."

The McCain campaign says that instead of supporting Buchanan -- or even McCain -- in 2000, Palin actually supported Steve Forbes.

And indeed, another AP story from August 7, 1999 -- one month after the Buchanan trip to Wasilla -- states that joining state sen. Mike Miller of Fairbanks on the Forbes campaign's Alaska "leadership committee will be Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin, and former state GOP chairman Pete Hallgren, who will serve as co-chairs."

-- jpt

August 30, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (334) | TrackBack (0)

Hillary Rah-Rahs Palin

August 30, 2008 11:51 AM

I think it would be fair to say that the Obama campaign wishes Sen. Hillary Clinton's statement on Gov. Palin were harsher.

"We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain," Clinton said. "While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important new voice to the debate."

There's still time for Clinton to pivot and point out that she and Palin disagree on quite a bit -- Palin opposes legal abortion even for victims of rape and incest, for example -- but the Clinton-Obama psychodrama is very much present in these comments from the junior senator from New York. Sens. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and Joe Biden, D-Del., risk looking like chauvinistic bullies when they go after Palin -- they need women -- especially Clinton -- to do that for them.

Will she rise to the task?

- jpt

August 30, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (641) | TrackBack (0)

Barack Obama: He Completes Us

August 30, 2008 11:42 AM

Comedy Central provides the Obama bio video the Obama campaign actually would like to have played Thursday night.

In actual news, HERE is the Obama campaign's new TV ad about Gov. Sarah Palin, in which it tries to make the case that George W. Bush, not Palin, is Sen. John McCain's true running mate.

The script reads:

NARRATOR: Well, he's made his choice. But, for the rest of us… …there's still no change. McCain doesn’t get it, calling this broken economy "strong." Wants to keep spending ten-billion-a-month in Iraq. And votes with George Bush ninety-percent of the time. So, while this may be his running-mate…  (VISUAL: McCain/Palin)…America knows this is John McCain’s agenda.  (VISUAL: McCain/Bush) And we can't afford four more years of the same.

BO: I’m Barack Obama.  And I approve this message.

Do you?

- jpt

August 30, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (73) | TrackBack (0)

Obama, Biden Congratulate Palin

August 29, 2008 7:02 PM

At Pennsylvania Biodiesel Inc. in Monaca, Penn., this afternoon, Sens. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and Joe Biden, D-Del., congratulated Gov. Sarah Palin, the new running mate of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"I haven't met her before," Obama said. "She seems like a compelling person ... with a terrific personal story. I'm sure that she will help make the case for Republicans.

"Unfortunately the case is more of the same, and so ultimately John McCain is at the top of the ticket," Obama said. "He wants to take the country in the wrong direction, I'm assuming Gov. Palin agrees with him and his policies. But the fact that she ... will soon be nominated ... is one more indicator of this country moving forward ... one more hit against that glass ceiling. I congratulate her and look forward to a vigorous debate."

Added Biden, "I'm looking forward to meeting her."

Then this afternoon, from his campaign bus, Obama called Palin. Per Obama senior adviser Robert Gibbs, Obama told her she would be a terrific candidate and that he looked forward to seeing her on the campaign trail. He also wished her good luck -- but not too much luck.

- jpt

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (432) | TrackBack (0)

A Warm Encounter with a Steeler

August 29, 2008 6:25 PM

This afternoon in Pittsburgh, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., greeted Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin.

"Hey coach. I'm Joe Biden," said the vice presidential candidate. "I'm second string."

Biden told Tomlin that after his wife and daughter were killed in 1972, the owner of the Steelers Art Rooney -- whom Biden called "Old Mister Rooney" -- had players from then-world champion Steelers bring an autographed football "to the hospital in Wilmington, Delaware with a signed football for my sons" as a Christmas present, "and I have been a Steelers fan since that day."

"Not much has changed," Tomlin said.

"They are first-class, first rate people," Biden said.

Soon Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and his wife Michelle came out.

The coach introduced everyone to the three Tomlin children Michael, Mason and Harlyn.

The shy Mason refrained from shaking Obama's hand.

"You going to leave me hanging like this?" Obama asked. "Aw, man, that's a shame."

After posing for a family photo, Obama told Tomlin, "If I didn't live in Chicago I'd be a Steelers fan."

"You've brightened what has been a miserable day," Tomlin told Obama. "I had to cut 23 guys this morning. Hardest day of the year."

"Your owner has supreme confidence in you," Obama told the coach. "Good luck on the season. We're very proud of you."

Tomlin replied, "You have our support, our well wishes, our blessings and prayers."

"I'll be watching the games, I might even try to come to one," Obama said.

"We're playing in DC the night before the election," Tomlin said, "but no pressure."

"We're kind of in the same business, they renew my contract every six years, yours after every game," Biden said, adding that optimism is "an occupational job requirement."

- jpt

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (21) | TrackBack (0)

Oh, That Joe! (Number 2 in a Series)

August 29, 2008 5:45 PM

At the Windmill Ice Cream Shop in Aliquippa, Penn, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, asked his running mate if he was getting hard of soft ice cream.

"Let's see what we've got here," Obama said as he approached the counter.

"So," he said to Biden, "you decided to go with soft?"

"I'm getting hard," Biden said. "I'm a hard guy."

Chuckles all around as Obama orders his wife a small sundae.

- jpt

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (28) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Distances Self From Campaign Spox Attack on Palin

August 29, 2008 4:41 PM

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was just now asked about the conflicting statements from his campaign on Sen. John McCain's, R-Ariz., pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate -- first, an attack by a spokesman, then a congratulatory statement by Obama and running mate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

"I think that, you know, campaigns start getting these hair triggers," Obama said at Pennsylvania Biodiesel Inc. in Monaca, Pa. "The statement that Joe and I put out reflects our sentiments."

- jpt

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (281) | TrackBack (0)

Happy Birthday, Senator

August 29, 2008 3:39 PM

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is 72 years young today.

Incidentally, that's older than the state of Alaska, home state of his new running mate.

- jpt

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (102) | TrackBack (0)

The Obama Campaign's First Impulse...

August 29, 2008 2:52 PM

...was to attack Gov. Palin.

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency," said Obama spox Bill Burton. "Gov. Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil, and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same."

Republicans say it's noteworthy that, on the week commemorating the 88th anniversary of women getting the right to vote -- with McCain, making a groundbreaking VP pick -- the Obama campaign's first response was to attack, not congratulate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, or acknowledge the historic nature of her selection.

It was just yesterday that McCain ran a TV ad congratulating Obama on his historic achievement.

Upon further reflection, Sens. Obama and Biden issued a more carefully considered response:

“We send our congratulations to Gov. Sarah Palin and her family on her designation as the Republican nominee for vice president," said the Democratic ticket in a joint statement. "It is yet another encouraging sign that old barriers are falling in our politics.  While we obviously have differences over how best to lead this country forward, Gov. Palin is an admirable person and will add a compelling new voice to this campaign."

The first response Republicans had to the Biden pick, of course, was to attack Obama with Biden's words. Then again, there's nothing particularly historic about picking a white male senator as your running mate.

- jpt

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (287) | TrackBack (0)

A Whiter Shade of Palin

August 29, 2008 11:24 AM

When considering Sen. John McCain's, R-Ariz., VP pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, it's worth putting into context how focused McCain has been about winning the women voters who supported Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and are not yet sold on Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Just think about how often McCain praised Clinton during and after her campaign, and all the McCain TV ads featuring Clinton.

To that end, consider the immediate reaction of Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson, who writes today
in a short piece titled "I'll See Your Biden and Raise You a Palin," that "you are going to have a lot of women voters wondering why Sen. Obama didn't tap Sen. Clinton as his running mate."

The McCain camp will argue that Palin has a great life story, is a reformer, has executive experience as governor and the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. She also knows quite a bit about energy issues.

Palin doesn't exactly scream "experience," which is McCain's main argument against Obama. For a decade, she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which has a population of approximately 8,471, which the Obama campaign says is less than 1/20th the size of his former state senate district.

Palin has been governor for two years. Some might argue that, in terms of experience, she makes Obama look like Robert Byrd.

In July, Palin told CNBC's Larry Kudlow that "as for that VP talk all the time, I tell ya, I still can't answer that question until, until somebody answers for me 'What it is exactly that the vice president does every day?'"

The McCain campaign says in a statement: "Gov. Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her administration and has a record of delivering on the change and reform that we need in Washington. ... Gov. Palin has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of. Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today."

- jpt

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (656) | TrackBack (0)

Obama's Speech, By the Numbers

August 29, 2008 7:27 AM

Uses of the word "America" or "American" -- 52

Duration, in minutes -- 44

Mentions of the word "work" -- 35

Mentions of specific policy proposals -- 35

Mentions of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., by name -- 21

Mentions of George W. Bush -- 8

Mentions of George W. Bush during John Kerry's 2004 speech -- 2

Mentions of George W. Bush during Al Gore's 2000 speech -- 0

Mentions of the word "change" -- 16

Mentions of troops or veterans -- 7

Allusions to Hurricane Katrina - 1

-- Jake Tapper and Jonathan Greenberger

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (96) | TrackBack (0)

Jimmy Carter Says McCain 'Milking' POW History

August 29, 2008 7:24 AM

Former President Jimmy Carter tells USA Today that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been "milking every possible drop of advantage" from his 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. "John McCain was able to weave in his experience in a Vietnam prison camp, no matter what the question was," Carter told the paper. "It's much better than talking about how he's changed his total character between being a senator, a kind of a maverick ... and his acquiescence in the last few months with every kind of lobbyist pressure that the right wing Republicans have presented."

- jpt

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (69) | TrackBack (0)

Oh, That Joe! (No. 1 in a Series)

August 29, 2008 12:52 AM

DENVER, COLO. -- At a meet-and-greet with National Guard members Thursday, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., was asked by a Guardsman if he would pose in a photo with him.

Biden -- who has gray, balding hair in an intriguing, coif that has been the source of much speculation -- praised the hair of the Guardsman and quickly agreed.

"I tell you, I'd love one with you," Biden said. "You got a camera?"

Biden then quipped, "If I had your hair, I'd be president, you know what I mean? I wouldn't be screwing around with this job."

-- Jake Tapper and Matt Jaffe

August 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (36) | TrackBack (0)

Who's in the Good Seats Around the Stage?

August 28, 2008 10:07 PM

Sitting here, stage right, third row, I see Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama; Sen. Joe and Jill Biden; Senate Majority Leader Harry and Landra Reid; House Speaker Nancy and Paul Pelosi; Craig Robinson (Michelle's brother) and wife. There are other family members here, too.

But most of the folks down here are not of the well-connected. They're grass roots volunteers, first-time delegates, and the disabled.

- jpt

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (151) | TrackBack (0)

Gore Talks About What Might Not Have Been, Compares Obama to Lincoln

August 28, 2008 9:08 PM

DENVER, Colorado -- Former Vice President Al Gore started his speech tonight by talking about how the world would be different had he ended up in the White House in 2000.

"Eight years ago, some said there was not much difference between the nominees of the two major parties and it didn’t really matter who became president," Gore said. "Our nation was enjoying peace and prosperity. Some assumed we would continue both, no matter the outcome. But here we all are in 2008, and I doubt anyone would argue now that election didn’t matter.

"Take it from me," Gore continued," if it had ended differently, we would not be bogged down in Iraq, we would have pursued bin Laden until we captured him. We would not be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis; we would be fighting for middle-income families. We would not be showing contempt for the Constitution; we’d be protecting the rights of every American, regardless of race, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation. And we would not be denying the climate crisis; we’d be solving it."

Gore said the choice between Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz., "may be even more obvious now, because John McCain, a man who has earned our respect on many levels, is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House, and promising to actually continue them."

Said Gore incredulously, "the same policies all over again? Hey, I believe in recycling, but that’s ridiculous. With John McCain’s support, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have led our nation into one calamity after another because of their indifference to fact; their readiness to sacrifice the long term to the short term, subordinate the general good to the benefit of the few and short-circuit the rule of law."

Gore also compared Obama to Abraham Lincoln, saying that "before he entered the White House, Abraham Lincoln’s experience in elective office consisted of eight years in his state legislature in Springfield, Ill., and one term in Congress –- during which he showed the courage and wisdom to oppose the invasion of another country, that was popular when it started, but later condemned by history.

"The experience Lincoln’s supporters valued most in that race was his powerful ability to inspire hope in the future at a time of impasse," Gore said. "He was known chiefly as a clear thinker and a great orator, with a passion for justice and a determination to heal the deep divisions of our land. He insisted on reaching past partisan and regional divides, to exalt our common humanity. In 2008, once again, we find ourselves at the end of an era with a mandate from history to launch another new beginning. And once again, we have a candidate whose experience perfectly matches an extraordinary moment of transition."

I'm sitting in INVESCO Field right now. Tens of thousands of Obama supporters are doing the wave.

- jpt

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (448) | TrackBack (0)

Preview of the Speech

August 28, 2008 8:26 PM

We took a look at the challenges Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., faces tonight in his speech on "World News with Charles Gibson."

Watch HERE.

- jpt

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (24) | TrackBack (0)

Plouffe Responds to Criticism of Temple Obama: 'Criticism Is Very Small in an Election That's Very Big'

August 28, 2008 6:00 PM

In an interview with ABC News, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe responded to criticism of the Greek columns on the stage where Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., will give his speech this evening.

"I think President Bush's backdrop at his convention had columns right behind him," Plouffe noted. "We are going to have American flags behind Barack Obama, 80,000 people celebrating their democracy waving American flags tonight. So, it is going to be a wonderful moment in our democracy.  And we think the criticism is very small in an election that is very big, and people understand, has big stakes associated with it."

- jpt

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (92) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Campaign Responds to McCain's Congratulatory TV Ad

August 28, 2008 5:07 PM

Tonight, the campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will air a TV ad congratulating Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on his nomination, with a nod to the fact that Obama's speech coincides with the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

"Sen. Obama, this is truly a good day for America," McCain says in the ad, speaking to his rival. "Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So, I wanted to stop and say congratulations. How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we'll be back at it. But tonight, Senator, job well done."

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe -- who did not know the content of the ad until we read him the script -- just told us that the McCain ad is "a very nice gesture. We appreciate that. I wish more of his ads had that tone. But for tonight, we appreciate it and will congratulate him next week on his nomination."

- jpt

* This post has been updated with the more exact quote.

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (94) | TrackBack (0)

Democrats Proudly Plan to Play AGE Card in Toledo Tomorrow

August 28, 2008 4:28 PM

Democrats are eagerly sending around a story from the Dallas Morning News, reporting that "mischievous Democrats" are planning on meeting Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in Toledo tomorrow, on McCain's 72nd birthday, with a cake with 72 candles on it.

The Ohio Democratic Party says, "The party will feature a birthday cake with 72 candles and a mobile billboard featuring a photo that tells voters everything they need to know about John McCain -- and his eager embrace of George Bush's failed policies, with the message, 'Does This Look Like Change To You.'"

Says the Morning News: "Not a poke at McCain's age, certainly not, a national party official insists. You'd put 20 candles on the cake for a 20-year-old. Shouldn't you put 72 candles on the cake of a 72-year-old?"

This coincides with a Democratic convention week where speakers are trotting out all sorts of senility-conjuring language when describing the GOP nominee: "old," "tired," "asleep at the switch," and "kindly Old Doc McCain."

- jpt

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (66) | TrackBack (0)

Obama and the Teleprompter

August 28, 2008 12:43 PM

We took a look at Sen. Obama's speechifyin' skills, and whether it's true that -- as conservatives snipe -- sans teleprompter, he's got nothing.

Watch HERE.

- jpt

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (148) | TrackBack (0)

Column Inches

August 28, 2008 10:31 AM

So, I was at INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium this morning for "Good Morning America," and yes, the Greek columns on the stage look a bit weird.

Though, as Ben Smith points out, President Bush had an ornate set with Greek columns when he accepted the GOP presidential nomination in 2004.

The Obama campaign says this is another one of those idiotic phony issues trumped up by the GOP and conservative media that makes no difference whatsoever to voters.

What say you?

- jpt

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (207) | TrackBack (0)

Hillary in Elevator Mishap*

August 28, 2008 12:44 AM

DENVER, Colo. -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., was already not having the Democratic National Convention that she'd been hoping for, her and her husband's well-received speeches notwithstanding.

Then it got worse.

After Wednesday night's festivities ended, there was a minor elevator mishap at the Pepsi Center that involved Clinton, sources tell ABC News.

Apparently, the elevator got stuck between floors, stranding Clinton and others for several minutes. For about five minutes inside the elevator, it was "hectic" and not a little claustrophobic -- the elevator was overpacked, which is why it stopped, a source says. The doors needed to be pushed open, and some of those in the elevator -- a couple of Secret Service agents -- needed to be lifted and squeezed out in order for it to start moving again.

Clinton was seen leaving the scene looking a tad shellshocked, but an aide said, "She's fine."

- jpt

* This post has been updated. Originally, per a witness report, it reported that Clinton, herself, had to be squeezed out of the elevator between floors, but a Clinton spokesperson says that isn't true.

August 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (175) | TrackBack (0)

Obama in Never-Before-Aired 'Nightline' Interview From 2004: Praises John Kerry's Experience, Disses 'Cut and Run' Proposals From Iraq

August 27, 2008 7:50 PM

It was a very different time, the Iraq war was just over a year old, and then-State Sen. Barack Obama was in a very different place.

In 2004, former "Nightline" anchor Ted Koppel interviewed the keynote speaker of the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

It never aired, though it will air tonight.

Some very interesting stuff.

Koppel asked Obama about comments he'd made to the Chicago Tribune about the convention focusing on the war.

"There were people who supported the war and people who opposed the war inside that convention hall," Obama said. "But what people are unified about is that, when we make a decision to go to war, that it should not be ideologically driven, that it should be driven by a set of facts and common sense with regards to how we mobilize our country and our national interest.

"And I think that there is a strong feeling that, even among those that supported George Bush’s decision initially to go in, that there was some fudging of the numbers and shading of the truth, and that, as a consequence of our inability to create a strong alliance around our actions, that we are now stuck in a quagmire that is going to cost us not only billions of dollars, but thousands of lives, and will require a much longer-term commitment than the American voters had intended when they rallied behind the president."

Asked Koppel: "Well, how does electing John Kerry resolve that dilemma for America?"

Obama said, "If you look at what has happened over the last several months, I think there is a convergence. Basically, the Bush administration has moved in the direction of its critics in trying to internationalize the reconstruction process. So, I am not sure that, on paper, the differences between the Bush administration and a Kerry administration would be significant."

Obama continued, "All of us assume that when we make that commitment, that we have to finish the job, we owe it not only to the troops who sacrificed their lives, but also the Iraqi people. The question is, who can execute. Who has the credibility to gather its allies together and to make sure that they are willing to expand their political capital, domestically, to invest into Iraq, to send their own troops into Iraq, to pressure countries, like Iran, to deal with issues of proliferation?

"And I think that there is a strong impression that the Bush administration has squandered its will on the international stage, and that John Kerry would come in with a broader vision and the possibility of bringing people onboard in a way that is necessary for our long-term success," Obama said.

Koppel said, "Presidents often talk about the importance of their personal relations with other leaders, but essentially that is a lot of hooey. You know, nations do things because of national interest."

"Absolutely," agreed Obama.

"And so," Koppel continued, "whether John Kerry is in the White House or George Bush is in the White House, that is not going to cause the French, or the Germans, or the Russians, or others who do not see it in their national interest to be engaged in Iraq right now, to suddenly say, 'Well, John, I like you a lot better than I liked George!'"

Obama said, "I do not think that it is a function of like or dislike. I think that what our allies look at is a consistent disdain for world opinion that culminated in Iraq, but that did not start in Iraq. Unilateral rejection of the Kyoto protocol, or the unilateral rejection of the International Criminal Court. Unilateral rejection of the land mines treaty.

"All of this culminating in Iraq, leading up to Iraq, but a pattern established that 'the United States is not interested in our national interest, that they do not want to sit down at our table and how to figure out how this is good for us as well as the United States, they’re willing to make their own decisions,'" Obama said. "It is that pattern on the part of the Bush administration that I think has made it so difficult for us to craft the kind of strategies that we need in hot areas like the Middle East."

Koppel asked, "But do you think that most the delegates on the floor really understand that President Kerry is not going to pursue a policy in Iraq that is essentially different from the one that George Bush is pursuing?"

"Oh, I think that they understand that," Obama said. "I think that they recognize that we cannot afford to simply cut and run in Iraq, and that we are in a difficult situation right now. And I think that what they are hoping for is somebody who is going to bring a thoughtfulness and a base of experience to decision-making in the White House, which John Kerry possesses, and I think that George Bush does not."

Koppel asked Obama, "Why can we not cut and run? When you freeze it that way, you determine the outcome. Why is it inappropriate to say, 'We’ll stay for another six months so that Iraq can take over their own affairs and their own defence and their own security, but in six months, we are pulling our troops out of there.'"

"Well, Ted, you have been there and I have not," said Obama. "I do not know whether or not we can accomplish that in six months. If we can, then I think John Kerry will bring our troops home. ...

"My assumption would be that if we could actually stabilize Iraq in such a way that you do not have warfare between the Sunnis the Shii’as and the Kurds, some semblance of law and order in that country, then I think that there is no doubt that the Kerry administration is going to be interested in bringing back the reservists and the National Guardsmen who are currently there, but --"

"If all of those things were true, Mr. Obama," Koppel interrupted, "I think it is also true that the Bush administration would bring the troops back."

"Absolutely," Obama said.

"Again, no difference between the two," Koppel said.

"Well, but as I said before, part of what we are struggling with here, part of what is at stake, is not simply the decision-making in Iraq," Obama said. "What is at stake is an overall approach to foreign policy that has been characterized in the Bush administration by unilateralism and a disdain for world opinion. That has concrete consequences over time. ...

"We got a driver who drove the bus into the ditch; now we can argue about how that happened, but we’ve got to get the bus out of the ditch. That does not mean you don’t fire the driver. And the question is: who do we trust over the long term to direct our foreign policy in a way that meets international interests, makes us strong here at home, creates the kind of, or restores us to kind of respect that we’ve had in the past, abroad, and I think that the estimation of those in the convention is that they trust John Kerry to make those decisions better than George Bush will make those decisions."

The interview will air on "Nightline" tonight. Four years late -- but quite relevant, in its way.

- jpt

August 27, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (91) | TrackBack (0)

Candidate X: McCain Using Bill Clinton's Words Against Obama

August 27, 2008 6:26 PM

Yesterday, former President Bill Clinton was riffing before an audience about his feelings on how a politician's ability to deliver would become a big issue in the future.

"For example, you're a voter, and you have Candidate X and Candidate Y," Clinton riffed. "Candidate X agrees with you on everything. But you don't think that person can deliver on anything. Candidate Y disagrees with you on half the issues, but you believe that, on the other half, the candidate will be able to deliver. For whom will you vote?"

Watch HERE.

He insisted he wasn't talking about anything having to do with today's politics, and the Clinton folks insist he was just talking theoretically, but that hasn't stopped the McCain campaign from sending the comments out and saying the former president was clearly heralding McCain and dissing Obama.

“John McCain has a record of taking stands against his party and accomplishing the bipartisan change Americans need," says McCain spox Tucker Bounds. "By putting his country first, John McCain hasn’t always been the most popular public official, but it has always made him effective -– so, John McCain is clearly candidate ‘Y’ in the equation.”

- jpt

August 27, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (90) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Camp Responds to GOP Slams on Greek-Columned Stage for Obama Speech

August 27, 2008 5:17 PM

Lots of slings and arrows headed Obama's way for the Greek set for his speech tomorrow night.

"Tomorrow you're going to see Obama come down from Olympus to be among us mere mortals," said former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a Republican, to reporters today.

Republicans: The RNC poked fun at the "Temple of Obama" with an e-mail, including poor reviews for the set.

On the flight from Billings, Mont., to Denver, Colo., Obama senior strategist David Axelrod responded to the criticism.

"I know that Sen. McCain and his people have been shooting barbs about the 'opulence' of our convention from the mountaintop at Sedona at the McCain estate. I don't think it warrants a response."

- jpt

UPDATE: I'm reminded that the McCain compound is actually in a valley, not atop a mountain. And to be technical, though McCain's Arizona retreat is commonly referred to as being in Sedona, the closest town is actually Page Springs, which is about halfway between Sedona and Cottonwood.

August 27, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (273) | TrackBack (0)

From the Fact Check Desk: Did Obama Say Iran Is a 'Tiny' Country That 'Doesn't Pose a Serious Threat'?

August 27, 2008 11:13 AM

We, in the media, have given a lot of airtime to the TV ads of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., this week, starring, as they do, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

There's been evidence emerging that McCain's campaign isn't really running these ads anywhere, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group.

"These were basically video press releases," CMAG’s Evan Tracey tells the Wall Street Journal.

OK, so that's kind of dishonest of the McCain campaign.

Today's new McCain ad -- "Tiny," which you can watch HERE -- crosses a new line into dishonesty, however, beyond whether or not it's actually airing anywhere.

The script reads: "Iran. Radical Islamic government. Known sponsors of terrorism. Developing nuclear capabilities to 'generate power' but threatening to eliminate Israel.

"Obama says Iran is a 'tiny' country, 'doesn't pose a serious threat,'" the ad continues. "Terrorism, destroying Israel, those aren't 'serious threats'? Obama -- dangerously unprepared to be president."

This is a dishonest representation of Obama's words.

On May 18, in Pendelton, Ore., Obama said that "strong countries and strong presidents talk to their adversaries. That's what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That's what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That's what Nixon did with Mao. I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela -- these countries are tiny, compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet, we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying, 'We're going to wipe you off the planet.'

"And ultimately, that direct engagement led to a series of measures that helped prevent nuclear war, and over time, allowed the kind of opening that brought down the Berlin Wall," Obama continued. "Now, that has to be the kind of approach that we take. You know, Iran, they spend one-one hundredth of what we spend on the military. If Iran ever tried to pose a serious threat to us, they wouldn't stand a chance. And we should use that position of strength that we have, to be bold enough to go ahead and listen. That doesn't mean we agree with them on everything. We might not compromise on any issues, but at least we should find out other areas of potential common interest, and we can reduce some of the tensions that has caused us so many problems around the world."

Watch HERE.

That is not even close to Obama saying Iran is a "tiny" country that "doesn't pose a serious threat."

Not even close.

- jpt

UPDATE: The McCain campaign says it is, indeed, running the ads, and sends THIS YOUTUBE LINK as proof. They say CMAG is wrong.

August 27, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (365) | TrackBack (0)

Yes, He Can? (Be Commander in Chief)

August 27, 2008 9:52 AM

BILLINGS, MONT. -- At a convention-watching party at the home of Eran and Carlee Thompson in Billings, Mont., last night, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., watched the speech of his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., intently, often clapping.

He perked up during the jabs at Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. He shouted "Yeah!" when Clinton mentioned his wife Michelle and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

After Clinton mentioned that McCain opposed equal pay for women, Obama said, "Oh, that doesn't work."

When she concluded, Obama, and the family with whom he was watching the show, applauded. "That was excellent," Obama said, "that was a very strong speech -- laid out the case -- you heard her -- we gotta keep going."

After leaving the house party, Obama called Clinton and said how grateful he was for her support, telling her she gave a terrific speech.

He also told her that he loved her line "No way, no how, no McCain."

But what Clinton did not say last night -- that Obama would be a great commander in chief, fully prepared to take that 3 a.m. call (as opposed to a 3 a.m. text message) -- did not escape the notice of his critics.

“Sen. Clinton ran her presidential campaign making clear that Barack Obama is not prepared to lead as commander in chief," says McCain spox Tucker Bounds. "Nowhere tonight did she alter that assessment. Nowhere tonight did she say that Barack Obama is ready to lead. Millions of Hillary Clinton supporters and millions of Americans remain concerned about whether Barack Obama is ready to be president.”

It's a concern shared by voters, less than 50 percent of whom say Obama is prepared to be commander in chief. When she withdrew from the race in June, Clinton was criticized for making a similar omission. She had to have known people were looking for her to say that he's up for the job. She didn't.

Obama has tried to shore up this perceived weakness with his international tour, and his selection of Biden as his running mate.

To little avail, as yet.

Today, Obama will focus on this issue, meeting with a local veteran and his family and then holding a town hall discussion on “Securing America’s Future” with veterans and military families in Billings, Mont. His convention, miles away in Denver, will also be focusing on the same subject.

Will it work?

- jpt

August 27, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (358) | TrackBack (0)

In Montana, Obama Puts Finishing Touches on his Speech

August 26, 2008 9:24 PM

In 2004, State Sen. Barack Obama would write down ideas on scraps of paper as he prepared for his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Finally, one night at Park Hyatt in Chicago, he wrote it all down in one first draft on his laptop computer. He sent it to his advisers in the middle of the night.

"By the third page, I realized, 'This is going to be a really good speech,'" recalls one of those advisers.

With a little more on the line this year, Obama -- whose superstitious nature leads him to carry a pocketful of good luck charms voters have given him -- returned to the Park Hyatt last week to write down this year's first draft. According to aides, he writes in longhand, pencil on legal paper, then types it out on his laptop.

Because of the protracted primary season, Obama is playing catch-up a bit. He wrote an outline while on vacation in Hawaii, but didn't get any time for serious work while there with his family.

To prepare, he read the convention acceptance speeches of former Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, as well as less successful Democratic presidential nominees Vice President Al Gore and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

In addition to laying out his plans and providing some inspiring oratory -- though not as much as in 2004, aides cautioned -- one of the goals of the speech is to argue that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is no maverick, but rather, someone who represents a doubling-down of the current policies of President George W. Bush.

Tonight, at the Billings, Mont., Crown Plaza Hotel, Obama will put the finishing touches on his speech, in his last real night of speech prep. Tomorrow night, he will be in Denver, seeing his family for the first time since Saturday, watching the speech of his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

In addition to working on his speech tonight, Obama will watch the convention on TV. He will fly to Denver tomorrow afternoon.

- jpt

August 26, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (84) | TrackBack (0)

'Those Are The Facts': Obama Sounds Out New Message, Riffs, Refrains in Kansas City Speech

August 26, 2008 1:57 PM

Sounding out themes for his convention speech and teeing off fresh economic news from a U.S. Census Bureau report, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., stood in a Kansas City, Mo., airplane hangar this afternoon to decry how his Republican opponent is deaf to the economic struggles of the American people.

"The truth is, this economy is not working for average Americans," Obama said to the crowd of roughly 150 union members and 100 local Obama activists sitting in an American Airlines Overhaul Base that has been the site of many job cutbacks in recent years.

"I'm just going to remind everyone here, this election is not about me, it’s about you," Obama said. "It’s about who is going to be fighting for you, who is going to be listening to you, who has been, for the last 20 years, standing side-by-side with you. Making sure that unions can organize, making sure that people who don’t have health insurance can get health insurance, making sure that kids can go to college who couldn’t go before. Who has a track record of fighting for you?"

Obama told voters in this swing state that they "need somebody who, every single day, 'gets it,' and understands that you’re not looking for a handout. That you are willing to work as hard as you can to create a better future for your children. All you want is just an American government that is on your side, that is making things a little easier, that is giving you a few more handles to climb up that ... ladder of success -- that is what I want to provide as your president."

Obama seemed to be previewing new riffs and refrains -- perhaps ones he will use Thursday night when he accepts his