Dem Campaign Chatter 8-29-2008

George Wenschhof

Today, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and wives begin battleground states bus tour - The first visit will be Beaver, Pennsylvania.

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"A Political Masterpiece" - The first reviews are in on Obama's speech last night - everyone is saying it was outstanding. Some trivia for you - a few lines used by Obama last night you may have heard before. The one where Obama says "...it's not because McCain doesn't care, it's because he just doesn't get it" was similar to the line used by Michael Douglas in the movie "The American President". The forceful comment "that's a debate I want" or "that's a debate I look forward to" with McCain on the issues was used by President Bartlett in the TV sitcom "West Wing".

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Gallup Poll has it Obama 48% and McCain 42% - They also have an analysis showing Obama has regained support of conservative Democrats. Read it here. Picking Joe Biden as his VP had to have helped this Democratic group support Obama.

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Latest Buzz on McCain VP - supposedly, Minnesota Governor Pawlenty is out and some are saying Mitt Romney is as well. The latest new face is Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and the early reports indicate she is the pick. At 44, she is the youngest and the first woman to be elected Governor of Alaska. This, actually could be a good move by McCain in terms of gender, age , and position. However, her positions on the issues are still unknown to many. McCain turns 72 today. Today, Palin is expected to join McCain at a rally in Dayton, Ohio scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM ET.

With hurricane Gustav bearing down on the gulf coast, republicans are considering delaying their convention set to begin Monday in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Pakistan Presidential election heats up - The election is scheduled for September 6, only a little over a month since President Musharraf resigned. Zadari of the "Bhutto", Pakistan Peoples Party is the leading candidate and is coming under fire from opponents who question his mental stability. Reuters.com has more here.

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Also, keep an eye on the republic of Georgia/Russia conflict - Putin said yesterday,the U.S. had been responsible for the Georgian aggression into South Ossetia - he was tying it to the U.S. Presidential election. Read more here. Russian Parliament recently recognized both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, break away regions from Georgia as independent countries. Stay Tuned.