Mark Halperin’s Three Things

Mark Halperin's three things to watch for in presidential politics for Friday, August 8:

1)   Keep an eye on Barack Obama as he heads to Hawaii. The Illinois Senator leaves Chicago and heads to Honolulu for nine days of R&R today. Obama, his wife and two daughters will be greeted by a "Welcome to Hawaii" event around 6:30 pm ET today. The vacation will feature a fundraiser at the Kahala Hotel & Resort, where he's estimated to raise more than $1 million. Just like yesterday, watch to see how his campaign tries to fill the news void without their candidate and without a full day of scheduled campaign events.

2)   Watch John McCain at the Iowa state fair today. The annual Hawkeye State ritual is one of the great photo ops in American politics, and the Arizonan will make his appearance in the middle of the day. Watch to see how McCain does at the fair and how he comes across. This could be one of the great photo ops that helps McCain’s candidacy, or it could lead to potential problems.

3)   Pay attention to Hillary Clinton, out campaigning in support of Barack Obama. The New York Senator will attend a “Campaign for Change” rally in Henderson, Nevada this afternoon. Lots of talk this week, including a new big story in TIME magazine about lingering issues between the Obama campaign and Hillary Clinton’s camp. Watch to see how that plays out with her today.