HALPERIN'S TAKE: Vital Questions About McCain-Obama in Search of Answers

1. Did Obama's overseas trip move voters to him – or away from him?

2. Is Tim Kaine doing all these press interviews with the explicit encouragement of Obama's team – and if so, how does Chicago think it is going?

3. Within the McCain camp, who was opposed to running the “Celebrity” ad, and what made the candidate decide to go with it?

4. When are Barack Obama and Bill Clinton having dinner?

5. Does Obama know who his own keynote speaker is going to be? Does McCain?

6. Is the McCain campaign going to try to clamp down on carping from anonymous “Republican strategists close to the campaign” or just ignore them?

7. Has Obama's campaign done any focus groups lately with white, swing voters and have they heard stuff that made them a little unsettled?

8. Who is more optimistic about winning: John McCain or Cindy McCain?

9. Which politicians still widely included on veepstakes lists know they are not even being vetted – or, at least, no longer are under consideration?

10. Is the media underestimating the importance McCain attaches to national security credentials in selecting a running mate?