The DNC has launched its first ad of the general election campaign.

(CNN) — Hours before John McCain is slated to formally accept the Republican presidential nomination, the Democratic National Committee hit the airwaves with its first advertisement of the general election campaign, a negative spot aimed squarely at the Arizona senator.

The DNC, like the Obama campaign, is making the case that McCain is the same as President Bush.

In “More of the Same,” the DNC targets both McCain and Bush on the economy. Both men are shown three times in the 30-second ad making very similar statements that suggest the U.S. economy is strong.

The new spot began airing Thursday in Michigan, a state CNN currently considers a toss-up in the presidential race.

Earlier this week, the Obama campaign released “Same,” another ad that seeks to portray McCain and Bush as virtually indistinguishable from one another on several policy issues. Wednesday, the McCain campaign released “Alaska Maverick,” an ad that compares the records of Obama and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP’s vice presidential nominee.

(full script after the jump)

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The Convention is in session.

The 2008 Democratic Convention is in session. Watch gavel-to-gavel coverage on CNN.com Live!

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) – Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is preparing for supporters to sleep outside of Invesco Field the night before he formally accepts the Democratic presidential nomination before more than 75,000 people.

Obama campaign officials said they are taking steps should attendees pitch tents Wednesday night outside the home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos. One Obama official said the campaign is hoping to turn the speech into a grassroots organizing event, with training sessions taking place while people wait in line to get into the stadium and when they take their seats.

The attendees will also be encouraged to text message friends and families in the hours leading up to the speech urging them to watch it, Obama campaign officials told CNN Sunday.

"We want them to watch it,” an Obama advisor said. "We want to tell them to vote. This is a training exercise.”

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DENVER, Colorado (CNN) – Hillary Clinton will meet with her primary delegates Wednesday – and will likely release them to Barack Obama at the event, CNN confirms.

Two Democratic sources say the Clinton reception will take place at 1:15 p.m. MT, before that evening’s roll call vote.

"It’s an opportunity for Senator Clinton to see her delegates — many for the first time since the primaries ended, thank them for their hard work and support, and most importantly to encourage them to support and work for Senator Obama as strongly as she has in order to elect him in November," said Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines.

The timing of Clinton’s official call had been one of the final unresolved questions surrounding the Democratic convention, following the announcement earlier this month that the New York senator’s name would be placed in nomination, and the Sunday morning decision of the Credentials Committee to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations at full voting strength.

Clinton had long pressed for both states to have their full voting privileges restored; a few weeks ago, at a fundraiser, she seemed to suggest that placing her name in nomination at the convention in Denver might provide a “catharsis” for some of her supporters.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Denver for the Democratic convention.

DENVER (AP) – In Denver, a man who tried to carry two hunting rifles and two pistols into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's downtown hotel remains in police custody.

A Secret Service spokesman says Pelosi and other guests briefly left the hotel during Saturday's incident but were never in danger.

The man is identified as 29-year-old Joseph Calanchini of Pinedale, Wyoming. He faces a charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon. Police officers at the Grand Hyatt hotel noticed him carrying a rifle-type case at the entrance and detained him.

It's not known if the weapons were loaded.

A Pelosi spokesman says "the speaker was never in any danger and she appreciates the quick and professional response of the police."

Pelosi is in Denver for the Democratic National Convention.

Reporters traveling with Sen. McCain received these items from the DNC Tuesday.

(CNN) – Last month, the Republican National Committee tire gauges as part of its effort to rip Sen. Barack Obama’s energy policy. Now the Democratic Party is returning the favor, sending journalists oil drum-shaped stress balls as the presumptive Republican nominee visited an oil rig Tuesday to push for offshore drilling.

The “Exxon-McCain ’08” campaign kits from the Democratic National Committee — the latest effort in a weeks-long campaign by the party to tie McCain to the oil giant — contain a bumper sticker, two buttons, and a stress relieving device shaped like an oil barrel. All of the items are emblazoned with the words “Exxon McCain ‘08” and the image of a gas station pump.

But in a bit of poor political timing, a study by the Center for Responsive Politics released earlier this month as the DNC launched its effort to link McCain to Exxon found that employees and executives of that company, along with fellow oil giants Chevron and BP, had actually donated more money to presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama than to the Arizona senator’s presidential bid. The study did find that McCain received more contributions overall from the oil industry — $1.3 million compared with roughly $400,000 to Obama.

Feinstein broke her ankle on Friday and won’t attend next week’s Democratic convention.

(CNN) – For weeks, Republican senators have been announcing their plans to skip their party’s nominating convention next month. Now one of their Democratic colleagues has announced she’ll be missing her party’s Denver convention — but this absence is an involuntary one.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was co-hosting an annual environmental summit in Lake Tahoe, broke her ankle Friday when she slipped and fell while walking with Rep. Ellen Tauscher.

“My doctor has advised me not to travel in the short-term, and so, regretfully, I am unable to attend what will surely be an historic convention in Denver,” Feinstein said in a statement released by her office.

“I was very much looking forward to chairing the California delegation, and I offer my best wishes to California’s delegates in this vital nomination process,” she added.

Feinstein, who had been a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, hosted both Clinton and Obama’s first post-primary season meeting in June at her home in Washington.

Feinstein can still cast her delegate vote at the convention by telephone “or other electronic means,” according to Democratic Party rules.

Gore will speak at Invesco Field.

(CNN) – Former Vice President Al Gore has accepted a speaking role on the final night of the Democratic convention, appearing on the same stage that Barack Obama will officially receive the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, three sources tell CNN.

It is unclear what Gore will say in the speech or at what time he will deliver his remarks before an audience that is expected to exceed 70,000 at Invesco Field.

The Obama campaign would not comment on the matter.

Gore will speak at Invesco Field.

(CNN) – Former Vice President Al Gore has accepted a speaking role on the final night of the Democratic convention, appearing on the same stage that Barack Obama will officially receive the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, three sources tell CNN.

It is unclear what Gore will say in the speech or at what time he will deliver his remarks before an audience that is expected to exceed 70,000 at Invesco Field.

The Obama campaign would not comment on the matter.

Clinton is still mired in campaign debt.

(CNN) — It might be Barack Obama's convention, but Hillary Clinton is taking the opportunity to raise money off of it.

Days after the New York senator announced she would award one contributor a trip to the convention with her, husband Bill Clinton is out with another fundraising appeal Monday encouraging supporters to join the contest.

Cafferty: Should Obama help Clinton with debt?

In an e-mail to potential donors Monday, the former president promised one contributor would have a memorable week with his wife, though he took care to reiterate Obama is the Democrat who the party will nominate for president.

The e-mail is a stark reminder the New York senator remains mired in campaign debt more than two months after she ended her historic bid for the White House, much to the aggravation of many of her supporters.

"You'll get to see Hillary speak on Tuesday, and Barack Obama — the next president of the United States — on Thursday," he wrote. "And I hear Hillary and you will have a chat — I'll make sure to stop by."

The fundraising appeal also comes shortly after it was announced Clinton's name would be placed in nomination along with Obama's and the same day one of the New York senator's most prominent backers, billionaire Lynn Forrester, expressed anger with Obama for not doing more to help the New York senator retire her campaign debt.

“He has provided her with a pittance compared to what the Clintons have given Obama,” she said. “Her debt could have been cleared within 10 days. It’s ungracious.”

Related: Clinton donors hesitant to show love for Obama

When it comes to her campaign debt, the conclusion of the party's convention serves as an important deadline. According to McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform, candidates only have 20 days after that date to fundraise for their personal loans.

As of the end of June, Clinton was more than $25 million in debt, $13 million of which is owed to herself. (Though New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg is currently appealing the FEC with regards to that provision.)

The Clintons, likely averse to any more hits on their public image, are reportedly not seeking to get their own money back.

(CNN) – The Democratic National Committee raised $27.7 million in the month of July, according to an e-mail Saturday from Karen Finney, the DNC’s Director of Communications.

“The strong fundraising numbers are a testament to Barack Obama's message of change and hope and his vision for America's future,” Finney wrote in the message.

The July number includes donations to the DNC proper; the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising endeavor between the DNC and the Obama campaign; and the Democratic White House Victory Fund, a joint fundraising endeavor between the DNC, the Obama campaign, and the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The Republican National Committee announced Friday that it raised $26 million in July.

A Clinton adviser tells CNN her team worried about chaos at the convention.

(CNN) — A source close to Hillary Clinton insists the former presidential contender never pushed Barack Obama’s campaign to allow her supporters to place her name into nomination at the Democratic convention, and approached his team only when her camp grew “worried” over news that rising resentment among her most loyal supporters might lead to chaos in Denver.

The source describes negotiations between the Clinton and Obama campaigns as “collaborative and friendly” since she suspended her presidential run. But the source said recent talks had been focused on the logistics of campaigning for Obama.

“When [the primary campaign] was over, we sat back and waited to see what would happen,” says the Clinton adviser. “But the voices grew louder about what could come down at the convention, all those kinds of realities started to take place, the reality of what outside groups had in mind, the rumblings.

“More and more groups started to pop up. So we said ‘We are worried we are not going to be able to control it, that it might ruin the convention. What should we do about it?’”

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Clinton will get a vote at the convention.'

(CNN) — The presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton announced Thursday that Senator Hillary Clinton’s name will be placed into nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

"Since June, Senators Obama and Clinton have been working together to ensure a Democratic victory this November," said the campaigns in a joint statement. "They are both committed to winning back the White House and to to ensuring that the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver.

"To honor and celebrate these voices and votes, both Senator Obama's and Senator Clinton's names will be placed in nomination."

The release said Obama’s campaign encouraged the move to promote party unity, and recognize Clinton's status as the first woman to compete in every presidential primary.

“I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion,” said Obama in the statement, which also quoted Clinton saying that “with every voice heard and the Party strongly united, we will elect Senator Obama President of the United States and put our nation on the path to peace and prosperity once again.”

A Democratic source with knowledge of the discussions says that the process was not a negotiation – that both sides came to a mutual decision that the move was the best path.

A Democratic Party operative familiar with convention plans says the move would bring "peace in the kingdom." The source adds that the Obama campaign "always knew it would probably have to happen."

"They have known since the day she dropped out that she wanted this 'for history,'" says the operative.

The announcement follows a string of recent reports that die-hard supporters of Hillary Clinton were planning to protest in Denver if her name were not placed into nomination, and a roll call vote held that would allow the New York senator's delegates to vote for her

If this happens, Clinton will not be the first woman to have her name placed in nomination for president at a major party convention. Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith was placed in nomination at the 1964 Republican convention, and New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm was placed in nomination at the 1972 Democratic convention.

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Warner (here campaigning with Obama in Virginia) is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Virginia Governor and Senate candidate Mark Warner will deliver the keynote address at this month’s 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Barack Obama’s presidential campaign announced Wednesday that Warner will deliver the speech on the convention’s second night, Tuesday August 26 — that’s also the night that Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) will also speak in prime time. Clinton came very close to winning the Democratic presidential nomination, dropping her bid for the White House and backing Obama just two months ago, after the end of the primary season.

But Warner gets the coveted role of keynote speaker. Four years ago a little-known state lawmaker from Illinois who was running for the Senate had the same role. His speech at the convention in Boston was highly praised by Democrats. That man, Obama, went on to win his election and now the Democrat’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Warner won election as Virginia’s governor in 2001, the first in a string of statewide election victories by Democrats this decade in a state that was once dominated by Republicans. Warner is now facing off with the man he succeeded in Richmond, Republican Jim Gilmore, in the battle to succeed retiring Senator John Warner (no relation to Mark Warner), a Republican who has held the seat for three decades.

Democrats say the theme of the second night of the convention will be “Renewing America’s Promise.”

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Does focus want the Almighty to rain on the Democrats’ parade?

(CNN) — Last month, Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family posted a video on its Web site calling on Christians to “pray for rain” to disrupt Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the upcoming Democratic convention in nearby Denver. Weeks later, their efforts did result in a deluge – the flood of criticism and news coverage that accompanied their decision to take down the video.

Focus officials insist the video — narrated by the man in charge of Web operations for the group’s political wing — was intended as a joke, and not a request for any divinely-inspired weather patterns.

Democrats revealed a new Web site Tuesday taking aim at McCain's VP prospects .

(CNN) — President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney may be keeping a low profile this campaign season while their approval ratings are at historic lows, but the Democratic National Committee wants to make sure their shadows loom large over would-be Republican successors.

Democrats revealed a new Web site Tuesday that looks to detail links between seven of the GOP’s top vice presidential prospects, the man they would replace and the current occupant of the White House.

Election Center: Who could be on the vice presidential short list?

TheNextCheney.com is an information clearinghouse with a focus on Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, FedEx CEO Fred Smith, and Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor – all of whom have been high on most observers’ lists of potential running mates for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

The site, the latest salvo in an unprecedented Web war waged by Democrats this election year, also gives party supporters a chance to be part of local rapid response efforts – including the kind of amateur tracking operations that have dogged candidates this cycle.

Hillary Clinton’s supporters want special platform language on sexism.

WASHINGTON — As her chances of becoming vice president recede, some of Hillary Rodham Clinton's supporters are pushing for the Democratic Party's new platform to state that the primary elections "exposed pervasive gender bias in the media" and to call on party leaders to take "immediate and public steps" to condemn future perceived instances of bias.

The push for the plank in the party's statement of principles reflects a lingering unhappiness over Clinton's treatment during the Democratic primary, and over what her supporters say was an inadequate response from party leaders.

Some Clinton supporters have complained of jibes against the New York senator by TV talk show hosts, off-color novelty items and incidents such as the time when hecklers yelled "Iron my shirt!" at a Clinton rally.

A Democratic committee devoted to writing the platform is to meet today in Cleveland to hear presentations from policy advocates, then draft the document.

"There were so many examples in the media of sexist comments where we never heard from the party leadership or Barack Obama," said Stacy Mason, executive director of a political action committee called WomenCount, which claims thousands of members. The group ran newspaper ads in the spring urging Clinton to stay in the contest.

"We're focused on why the Democratic leadership was so silent about it during the campaign," Mason said. "It was their obligation to come to the defense of one of their own primary candidates, and they didn't. They stayed silent during the campaign, and that's not OK."

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The RNC launched a new interactive website Friday.

(CNN)—The Republican National Committee is launching an interactive Web site Friday for voters to help develop the 2008 Republican Party platform by submitting comments and ideas.

“This Web site is really about you,” RNC Chairman Mike Duncan says in a video message on the site. “[It’s about] your ideas, your issues, and most important of all, your aspirations.”

Through the Web site, GOPPlatform2008.com, voters can submit suggestions and commentary covering a variety of issues including energy and gas prices, health care reform, national security, and jobs and economic growth. Voters can also view messages from others who have submitted commentary — including those from the platform committee co-chairmen, Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Sen. Richard Burr.

McCarthy said they hope the site will evolve into a virtual town hall.

The Democratic National Committee is making face-to-face meetings the centerpiece of their platform initiative earlier this week: voters have been invited to attend meetings with platform committee members in every state.

"This process will empower Americans in all 50 states to make their voices heard as they help write the document that embodies our party's values and vision for the future,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who started "Operation Chaos"– an election-year bid to sabotage Democratic presidential hopes–has instructed his listeners to attend these meetings.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Democratic National Committee said Tuesday it plans to file a lawsuit next week to try to force a federal investigation over whether John McCain’s withdrawal from the public financing system violated the law – the latest move in an effort that dates back to February, when the Arizona senator effectively clinched the Republican presidential nomination.

Democrats say McCain’s decision to use the promise of federal matching funds as collateral to keep his financially struggling campaign afloat late last year prevents him from withdrawing from the system – and its strict spending requirements – now that he is on sounder financial footing.

The DNC first filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, which has lacked a working quorum all year – which means it has not officially ruled on either McCain’s request or the DNC complaint. Two months ago, a court ruled that the FEC could convene without a quorum within the 120-day window they are allowed to examine complaints. The new suit, which the party plans to file in U.S. District Court next week, is intended to force the agency to take action before that period ends June 24.

UPDATE: Republicans again dismissed the effort as political grandstanding. “Having been thrown out of court just one month ago, the DNC now announces that it will once more file the same meritless lawsuit, again wasting judicial resources for its own political agenda. Once again, the DNC has neither the law nor the facts on their side,” said Republican National Committee Chief Counsel Sean Cairncross.

The DNC's host committee is facing a possible monetary shortfall.

DENVER (AP) — The host committee for the Democratic National Convention faces a possible shortfall of $15 million, complicating logistics for the August event and forcing it to abruptly postpone a media walkthrough of the site scheduled for next week.

The Democratic National Committee has asked the cash-strapped panel to raise $40.6 million by Monday to finance the event. Last month, the committee said it had just $25 million in cash, and it has failed to meet each of several fundraising deadlines since signing a contract with the DNC last year.

Host committee members consistently have refused public comment on their fundraising efforts. Committee spokesman Chris Lopez could not immediately be reached by telephone Friday.

Last week, Denver city auditor Dennis Gallagher sent a letter to Mayor John Hickenlooper saying taxpayers are concerned they may get stuck with the tab if Denver can't come up with another $15 million by Monday.

"I have people buttonholing me in coffee shops, corralling me along the 16th Street Mall, even stopping by my house asking how the city will be able to afford the convention if the fundraising
efforts fall short," Gallagher wrote. "Specifically people are asking me if Denver will have to use tax dollars to back-load any financial shortfall or even if the city is planning to use bond money to subsidize any shortfall."

Hickenlooper, who has traveled across the country seeking funds for the convention, has said he is confident the host committee will raise enough money by Monday's deadline.

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