Archive - August 8, 2008 - The Page by Mark Halperin

The opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games kick off in Beijing Friday morning. President Bush is in attendance. He's the first U.S. president to ever attend an Olympics on foreign soil. Ceremony airs Friday night at 7:30 pm ET on NBC. Permalink

McCain Seeks to Reassure Religious Leaders

The Senator’s campaign e-mails conservative groups with excerpts of his memoir where he addresses his faith. “John McCain is a strong Christian, but he believes that, in the context of the campaign, his faith is a personal issue.” CBN’s Brody: Message suggests McCain does not plan to speak publicly about his faith. “Whether or not book excerpts get the job done is a big question mark.” Permalink

Report: Oprah Rents House in Denver for Week of Convention

Rocky Mountain News: A source says the talk show superstar and avid Obama supporter has rented a house near Cherry Creek during the last week in August. The cost is said to be about $50,000 for the week. A Winfrey spokeswoman says her attendance at the convention is not confirmed. Permalink

Obama's Grandmother: A "Grand Matriarch"

Bloomberg profiles the 85-year-old Madelyn Dunham, whom Obama and his family are traveling to Hawaii to see. Obama's sister: "She was the net beneath us so we could make courageous decisions in our own lives.'' Plus: An Austrailian paper reports McCain's younger brother has been telling him he needs to rediscover his maverick self to win the presidency. Permalink

McCain (a/k/a Steve Schmidt) Gets Conservative Pundits on Message

GOP Obama framing takes hold on in all pens (if not necessarily with voters). Read Peggy Noonan here. Read Rich Lowry here. Permalink

SPOTTED: DONILON AND KLAIN

Former former State Department big Tom Donilon and former Gore chief of staff and "Recount" hero Ron Klain are both seen leaving David Axelrod's office Thursday. Debate strategy, anyone? Developing... Permalink

Bill Clinton to Speak Wednesday in Denver

Convention slot for former president would break part of the logjam. WashPost: "Advisers to Sen. Barack Obama are scrambling to reach a compromise with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to appease her supporters and find roles for her and her husband." Permalink

Seats For Obama's Speech Snapped Up

By Thursday afternoon, there had been more than 60,000 applications for tickets to watch Obama accept the nomination at Invesco Field. More than 30,000 seats have been set aside for the public by the Obama campaign. Permalink

Obama as the Antichrist?

Some Democratic Christians say there's more to McCain's "The One" attack ad on Obama than meets the eye. TIME's Amy Sullivan looks at the ad's symbolism and how it plays into rumors circulating among some evangelical groups. Watch the ad here. Permalink

Russia Invades Georgia

Russian tanks and warplanes reported to be advancing into the former Soviet state, as tensions flare over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Georgia's president tells CNN, "We have scores of wounded and dead among (the) civilian population all around the country." * * * * * Get The Page delivered to your inbox. Sign up for TIME's daily political newsletter here. Permalink