The Page
Politics up to the Minute
Headlines from July 3rd, 2008
Where They Are Thursday
Obama: Fargo, ND McCain: Mexico City, Mexico Permalink
PLACE YOUR BETS
TIME's Scherer and Weisskopf explore the candidates' passion for gambling and what it tells us about the race in this week's mag. ON MCCAIN: He tends to play for a few thousand dollars at a time -- and recently had to be convinced by aides it was inappropriate to stop by the casinos on a Vegas campaign stop. ON OBAMA: Poker is his game of choice -- he attended Wednesday night low-dollar games while in the Illinois state senate in a colleague's basement. Permalink
GATES AT THE GATE
WSJ: Obama aides say he may consider asking Defense Secretary Gates to stay as defense chief if elected. Also: The two camps are weighing nominees for national security positions now so they can be quickly confirmed to avoid disrupting defense efforts. Gates has asked senior Pentagon officials to be prepared to stay for the first few months of '09 to cover inevitable gaps. Permalink
A Tight Race for Catholic Voters
From TIME poll on Catholics in this week's magazine: McCain 45, Obama 44 Get more stats from the poll here. Permalink
Battleground Blitz
--WSJ piece considers how New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada "could be vital in a close race," and looks into Obama's reach for Montana and North Dakota. Permalink
Flag Pin Questions Re-Emerge for the Fourth
Independence Day-themed USA Today/Gallup poll finds 1 in 6 think sporting an American flag pin indicates a person is patriotic. Two-thirds also believe protesting U.S. policies you oppose is patriotic. Plus: LA Times takes note that the week leading up to the fourth brought a slew of "inconsequential and misguided" campaign stories. Permalink
McCain Backers Find Donation Loopholes
WSJ front: Republicans donating to the Republican Governors Association and other groups to indirectly aid McCain. "Anything we do to help Republican governors has a multiplier effect for McCain," Democrats question whether the tactic is legal. Permalink
Morning Show Summary
On ABC's "Good Morning America," Stephanopoulos called McCain's staff changes "a very big deal," said Schmidt has "the manner of a drill sgt." who will "put some coherence into (McCain's) schedule." CBS' "Early Show" said Rick Davis remains technically in control, but "it appears the controls of the campaign have now changed hands." Ed Rollins called Schmidt "an excellent choice." Permalink
Obama to Start Raking in the Dough
The Illinois Senator is stepping up his schedule of big-money fundraisers with more than a dozen events planned over the next few weeks, showcasing his "formidable high-dollar donor network." Fundraising push comes after his decision last month to bypass public financing for the general. Plus: Obama attends evening fundraiser in Colorado Wednesday evening. Read pool report here. Permalink
Clinton Goes Local, Returns to Upstate NY
Constiuents greet the Senator Wednesday with cheers of "Hillary!" during her first trip upstate since suspending her presidential bid. "It's wonderful. It is so wonderful. It was the only part of campaigning that was kind of challenging. I really missed New York." She visited Syracuse for two hours, meeting with the mayor and other leaders about green energy, technology. She later visited a fruit farm outside Newark. Permalink
Obama's Sister Courts the Asian Vote
Chicago Sun-Times: The Senator's Asian-American half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng is stepping up her efforts to get the 15 million Asian-American voters to vote for her brother. Permalink
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