Sen. Barack Obama tried to paint McCain as out-of-touch with the middle class Sunday.

(CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday tried to paint Sen. John McCain as a candidate who is out of touch with the middle class.

peaking about Friday's presidential debate, Obama accused McCain of not addressing working families.

"We talked about the economy for 40 minutes, and not once did Sen. McCain talk about the struggles that middle class families are facing every day," Obama said at a campaign event in Detroit, Michigan.

The economy took the lead in Friday night's presidential debate, as both candidates highlighted their plans to bring the United States out of what some are describing as the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

McCain on Sunday brushed off Obama's latest line of attack, saying he has "bigger things to worry about."

"Who does he think I was talking about when I said 'people on Main Street'? Who did he think I was talking about, about the necessity of helping the American taxpayers and income — and Americans who are out there working and trying to keep their jobs?" he said on ABC's "This Week."

"I've got bigger things to worry about than that."

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Obama and McCain said sunday they would probably vote for the proposed bailout plan.

(CNN) – Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain said Sunday they would probably vote for the government's proposed bailout legislation once they check out the final details.

Congressional lawmakers announced early Sunday they made "great progress" toward reaching a deal on the White House's proposed $700 billion bailout plan.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, said the final plan will be a compromise that includes some of the original Bush administration proposals and elements demanded by congressional negotiators.

In an interview Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," Obama said he had not reviewed the language of the latest proposal, but he said if the core principles he put forth were incorporated into it, his "inclination" would be to vote for it.

The Illinois senator said the final deal must include strong oversight, make sure taxpayers share in any gains when the market recovers, provide relief for homeowners, and make sure taxpayers' money does not go toward any executives' bonuses.

Obama told CBS that it appears those principles have been included, and if that is the case, "my inclination would be to vote for it, understanding I'm not happy about it. We should have never gotten into this place in the first place."

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Next up: Sen. Biden will debate Gov. Palin.

(CNN) – Now that Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain have their first presidential debate out of the way, the focus turns to their running mates.

Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin will face off Thursday at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

There's a lot of anticipation surrounding the VP debate because Palin has remained largely on script in her first month on the campaign trail.

Watch: Europe reacts to U.S. debate

While Biden has a well-earned reputation for impetuous and brutally honest remarks, he's also a long-time senator with decades of experience in the public eye.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the 65-year-old Delaware senator is well versed on foreign policy.

Biden has done nearly 100 interviews since being picked as Obama's VP on August 23.

Palin, on the other hand, did her third interview with a national television network last week. On Wednesday, she held her first media availability with her traveling reporters.

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Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin call themselves the 'original mavericks' in a new TV ad.

(CNN) — As the candidates try to win over undecided voters, both Republicans and Democrats are pushing a message of change.

CNN's latest "poll of polls" shows Sen. John McCain leading Sen. Barack Obama 47 percent to 46 percent.

Monday's poll of polls shows that 7 percent of voters are undecided — enough to push either candidate over the top.

With the election less than two months away, the candidates have limited time to sway undecided voters who hold the election in their hands.

According to John Avlon, author of "Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics," independent and swing voters are looking for a break from the Bush administration.

"What they're looking for in this campaign is a candidate who's going to end the hyper-partisanship in Washington and who's going to have credibility on reducing spending, but also sort of the antidote to the Bush administration," he said on CNN's "American Morning." "They've been — instead of fiscally conservative — fiscally liberal and socially conservative, and that's the opposite of what independents and swing voters want."

Change essentially means new people and new policies, said Bill Schneider, CNN's senior political analyst.

"It's exactly the theme that people want for this year after eight years of the Bush administration," he said. "But the big puzzle in this election is — what's the best way to get that?"

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Sens. McCain and Obama appeared briefly on stage together last month during a forum moderated by Pastor Rick Warren at the Saddleback Church in California.

(CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama’s lead in national polls has shrunk to one point, according to CNN’s latest “poll of polls.”

Sunday’s poll of polls shows Obama leading John McCain 44 to 43 percent.

Obama held a three-point lead in Saturday’s poll of polls. The senator from Illinois was leading McCain 45-42 percent.

"All of the surveys included in our national polling average were conducted at least in part during the Republican Convention," noted CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib. "It's still too early to know exactly how much of a bounce McCain has received. That said, the daily tracking numbers indicate that the [Sarah] Palin pick has clearly energized the GOP's base. We have an extremely tight race for the White House on our hands."

CNN’s most recent poll of polls consists of three surveys: CBS (September 1-3), Gallup (September 4-6), and Diageo/Hotline (September 2-4). The poll of polls does not have a sampling error.

The Republican convention took place last week in St. Paul, Minnesota. Democrats held their convention during the last week of August in Denver, Colorado.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty addressed the Republican convention Thursday night, but it was a far cry from the VP address that many once thought he would give.

His address Thursday came early — around 7 p.m. local time. Delegates were still filing in as he was speaking, and many inside the Xcel Center talked throughout his speech.

The delegations seated close to the stage were paying attention and chanting "John McCain," but in other parts of the room, it was hard to hear what he was saying over all of the chatter.

Pawlenty was considered one of the top contenders for John McCain's VP slot on the GOP ticket.

Gov. Sarah Palin's speech Wednesday night fired up Republican delegates.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin came out swinging Wednesday night, but it's going to take more than just fighting words to win over the independent and undecided voters who hold the election in their hands.

Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention marked her first major address as the Republican vice presidential candidate.

The Alaska governor tore into Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama as two-faced, arrogant and unable to lead while she painted Republican candidate John McCain as courageous reformer who is ready to take charge.

Her prime time address was full of humor and sarcasm. Her tone was a hit with delegates watching in St. Paul, Minnesota, but it didn't resonate well with everyone outside of the Republican circle.

"She came across as angry and overconfident," said Kuntal Warwick, an independent voter from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Palin had little to say about policy, and her speech was full "of smugness and mockery," Warwick said.

Independents like Warwick, combined with voters who have yet to make up their mind, are the ones who could decide who ends up in the White House.

"The base of the Democratic and Republican parties — their votes are predictable," said John Avlon, author of "Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics." "It's the swing voters who decide who's going to carry the balance of power, who will ultimately win that election state-by-state and even nationwide."

Avlon didn't have a problem with Palin's tone. He said her humor and confidence will probably appeal to the independents, but it's the lack of substance that will leave that group in search of something more.

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Watch Ron Paul on American Morning Tuesday.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – Texas Rep. Ron Paul said Tuesday that he was told he could go to the Republican convention floor under restricted conditions, but he'd have to pick up his pass at the gate and he couldn't have any guests.

"Republican congressmen should have a pass to the floor but they said, 'Your pass will be at the gate and we'll pick it up when you leave and you can't take anybody with you," Paul said on CNN's "American Morning."

Supporters of the former Republican presidential candidate are holding their own counter convention in Minneapolis. The "Rally for the Republic" marks the official start of Paul's new political action group, the "Campaign for Liberty."

More than 10,000 tickets to the rally have been sold. Tucker Carlson, Jesse Ventura and Grover Norquist are among the speakers who will appear before Paul, who is scheduled to address the rally at 8:05 p.m. ET.

Paul said his rally will be a positive event that focuses on the issues he thinks other Republicans ignore -"the spending problems, the deficit, our foreign policy, our national defense, our monetary policy."

"We're Republicans - we believe in limited government and personal liberties. We ought to be talking about these things," he said.
Paul has been critical of presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee.

Asked if there is anything to like about the presidential contenders, Paul said "not a heck of a lot."

"I like it when they shift their positions, but then you don't know where they are," he said sarcastically. "John McCain used to be for taxes - now he's against taxes. Obama talks about less military intervention, but he's the first one to say we should increase the troops in Afghanistan."
Paul did have kind words for Sarah Palin, McCain's vice presidential pick. He said he was "delighted" to hear she said positive things about him in a recent interview.

"I hope she puts the right kind of pressure on our platform," he said.

Sen. Barack Obama takes a walkthrough of Invesco Field at Mile High on Wednesday night.

(CNN) – Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28,1963, Martin Luther King Jr. shared his vision for a new America:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal,' " he said before a crowd of hundreds of thousands.

Watch: Stadium readies for Obama

King's dream for a land where his children would "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" would be repeated, meditated upon and memorized for generations to come.

On the 45th anniversary of King's rousing call, Sen. Barack Obama will accept the Democratic nomination at INVESCO Field in Denver, Colorado. In what represents at least a partial actualization of King's dream, Obama will officially become the first African-American to lead a major party's ticket for president of the United States.

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Hillary Clinton casts her support for Barack Obama Wednesday.

DENVER (CNN) — Democrats Wednesday officially nominated Barack Obama to be their candidate for president, making him the first African-American to lead a major party ticket.

Hillary Clinton asked to cut the roll call short saying, "With eyes firmly fixed on the future, and in the spirit of unity with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, let's declare together
with one voice right here, right now that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president."

Watch: Dems officially nominate Obama

"Is there a second?" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California asked the crowd of more than 4,400 delegates, prompting a roar of approval.

"The motion is adopted," Pelosi said with a broad smile, officially capping a long and hard-fought battle between Obama and Clinton.

Watch: Highlights of the roll call

Delegates then affirmed Obama as their choice with cheers. There were hugs and handshakes as "Love Train" blasted from the arena speakers.

Clinton and Obama were on the ballot at the party convention on Wednesday. The states announced their votes in alphabetical order.

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Sen. Hillary Clinton will deliver a highly anticipated speech Tuesday night.

(CNN) — For a moment, the spotlight will be back on Sen. Hillary Clinton as she takes the stage Tuesday for her last solo "hoorah" of the 2008 presidential election.

Even though she's not Tuesday's keynote speaker, all the attention will be on her as she steps into a role that's a far cry from her original convention dreams. "Tuesday night is Hillary night," one Democratic source told CNN.

The next day, the Democratic senator is expected to release all her delegates to Barack Obama, bringing her White House run to an end.

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Sen. Barack Obama has a big event scheduled Saturday. Will his No. 2 man (or woman) be by his side?

(CNN) — The question is starting to feel a little old: Who will Barack Obama pick as his vice president?

With the clock ticking (the Democratic VP candidate delivers a big speech next Wednesday) the announcement is at most days and at least a few hours away.

Everyday seems to be "the day" — the day the guessing game will finally end.

In a poke at all of the VP buzz, the Obama campaign on Wednesday sent an e-mail to reporters with the subject line "Vice presidential …"

The first line of the e-mail: "Just kidding." The e-mail contained details about Obama's schedule with no mention of any of the potential vice presidential candidates.

But if the top contenders have any inside information, they're doing a good job of keeping quiet.

Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday told reporters camped outside his Delaware home that it's not him.

"You got better things to do guys; I'm not the guy," he said.

Asked where he would be on Saturday — when Obama is reportedly scheduled to hold a campaign event in Springfield, Illinois, that may feature his new running mate — Biden replied, "Here," pointing to his driveway.

He softened up a little later that night, telling reporters, "I promise you, I don't know anything."

Along with Biden, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine are considered to be among the top tier of VP contenders.

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Watch Richardson share his thoughts on the convention and other topics.

(CNN) — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said he’s now comfortable with Sen. Hillary Clinton placing her name in nomination at the Democratic convention, but he admitted he was uneasy about the move at first.

“It's going to be placed in nomination in recognition of the 18 million votes that she got — her historic candidacy. But then she is going to pledge her delegates to Sen. Obama so that it's a unanimous — a unanimous election. That — that gives me comfort,” he said Sunday on CNN’s “Late Edition.”

“Until that had been worked out, I was a little uneasy about there being just a roll call without any transference of that support to Sen. Obama. But the point is the party is united.”

Last week, Barack Obama’s campaign said it encouraged Clinton to put her name in roll call "as a show of unity and in recognition of the historic race she ran and the fact that she was the first woman to compete in all of our nation's primary contests."

Clinton last month suggested that doing so could provide a "catharsis" for her supporters.

Richardson on Sunday called Clinton a “long-time friend” who “ran a great race.”

He and the New York senator were scheduled to hold two private fundraisers Sunday to help retire her campaign debt.

Things got ugly between Richardson and the Clintons after he endorsed Obama in March.

Richardson, who served as secretary of energy in Bill Clinton’s administration, said in April that he was "very close to endorsing" Clinton, but decided not to after the campaign became negative.

"The Clintons should get over this," he said in April.

His endorsement was viewed as an act of betrayal by some longtime supporters of the Clintons. CNN Political Analyst James Carville, who has long and deep ties to both Clintons, even likened Richardson’s endorsement to Judas’s betrayal of Christ.

Richardson responded to Carville’s criticisms by saying that Carville and other Clinton supporters believe they are a “dynasty” and that they were “clinging to the throne.”

John McCain, Rick Warren and Barack Obama take the stage together at the forum on faith.

LAKE FOREST, California (CNN) — From their views on abortion to their greatest moral failings, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain used much different styles to tackle the same tough questions at Saturday night's forum on faith.

Obama struck a conversational tone and directed his answers toward moderator Rick Warren.

McCain gave straightforward responses, taking a more personal approach as he directed his answers toward the audience and viewers at home.

David Gergen, a senior political analyst for CNN, said he thought both candidates handled themselves well, but he was particularly impressed with McCain's performance.

"Along comes McCain, who not only has — he doesn't like to talk about his religion very much. And then he talks about it openly. But he has a very powerful story that's emotionally connected to the audience," he said.

"It's the candidate who can connect emotionally to Middle America who will have the big advantage going down the stretch."

The event was held at Saddleback Church, a mega-church in southern California. Warren, pastor at the church and author of the best-selling book "The Purpose-Driven Life," interviewed both candidates.

McCain and Obama appeared briefly onstage together, shaking hands and posing with Warren between their one-hour interviews.

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John Edwards admitted Friday that he had an affair with Rielle Hunter in 2006.

(CNN) — Rumors about John Edwards' love affair had been circulating for months, but it wasn't until the former Democratic presidential candidate admitted to the affair that national news organizations jumped on the story.

After the National Enquirer reported catching Edwards making a late-night visit to see his ex-mistress last month, the blogosphere exploded, asking why the mainstream media was not reporting the story.

Was it because of a condescending attitude toward a tabloid's reporting? Bias toward a Democratic candidate? Or sympathy toward Elizabeth Edwards, who is battling an incurable form of cancer?

David Carr, a columnist for The New York Times, said many news organizations "tend to pick up stories from the National Enquirer with tongs."

"They have been very right about some things … but there's been some misses too, so it's a little scary to follow on those stories," he said Sunday on CNN's Reliable Sources.

"It's also a little scary for big outfits to step up on a story like this. Sex may sell, but it can really hurt your relationship with readers," he added.

Enquirer editor David Perel said his organization feels a "big sense of vindication" now that Edwards has admitted to the affair.

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Steve Preston says there are too many homes on the market and not enough buyers.

(CNN) — Steve Preston, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said Sunday that the country is “pushing through the middle” of the housing crisis.

There is a surplus of homes on the market, but not enough customers, he said.

“We need new homebuyers to come back into this marketplace. And we have to work hard to stem the tide of foreclosures so we don't have more of those homes coming into the inventories,” he said on CNN’s “Late Edition.”

Preston said the roots of the problem are multifaceted and no one person is to blame.

"I think there was confusion at the closing table as to what people were getting into. I think you had builders overbuilding in many of these markets, and as a result, needing to sell that inventory and doing so aggressively.

“And I think at the end of the day, you had mortgage instruments that were poor financial risks that ultimately landed in the hands of investors that they probably should never have bought,” he said.

Preston advised people who fear they are on the brink of losing their home to find a counselor to help them decide if they should restructure their mortgage.

Hud.gov has contact information for housing counseling agencies throughout the country.

Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that Michigan and Florida delegates should get a full vote.

(CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that the delegates from Florida and Michigan should get a “full vote” at the Democratic convention this month.

“I believe party unity calls for the delegates from Florida and Michigan to be able to participate fully alongside the delegates from the other states and territories,” he said in a letter to the co-chairs of the Democratic National Convention’s Credentials Committee.

Obama asked the committee to pass a resolution when it meets on August 24 to give each delegate a full vote.

Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates as a penalty for holding their primaries too early. During the primary season, there were growing calls to seat the delegations as Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton were locked in a tight race for their party’s nomination. Obama and Clinton were about 100 delegates apart in March, and Florida and Michigan's cache of 366 delegates had the potential to shake up the race.

The battle over the states’ delegates became a key issue on the campaign trail. Clinton had long advocated for seating both states’ delegations. She won both primaries, but the Democratic candidates had agreed to not campaign in the two states and she was the only top-tier candidate on the ballot in Michigan.

Clinton’s message that “every vote should count” became a key theme in her stump speeches. She accused Obama of being "un-American" for not backing plans to hold a revote in the two states.

The Illinois senator denied claims that he was standing in the way of revotes.

"I want the Michigan delegation and the Florida delegation to be seated. And however the Democratic National Committee determines we can get that done, I'm happy to abide by those rules," he told CNN in March.

After months of wrangling over what to do, the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee voted in late May to reinstate all of Florida and Michigan's delegates, with each getting a half-vote.

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Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine could be in the running to be Barack Obama's VP.

(CNN) — It happens once every four years: Political pundits, news junkies and water cooler crowds obsess over whom the presidential contenders will pick to be their No. 2.

sked by CNN's Howard Kurtz what drives the compulsion behind the "glorified guessing game," A. B. Stoddard, an associate editor at The Hill, said every journalist is hoping for a "James Bond moment" when he or she can be the one to expose the story.

That, she said, "obviously never happens."

"But it comes in a lull in the campaign — June and July. You know, the primary is over. It tends to get a little dull. Usually the negative ads … haven't appeared yet, and so it's sort of a perfect time to begin the guessing game.

"It is their first presidential decision," she said on CNN's "Reliable Sources."

Roger Simon, chief political columnist for Politico.com, said another benefit of dangling names in front of the public is that the candidates can use the media to vet those in the running.

"If there's anything is some guy's closet … some local reporter who has covered this person for eight or 12 or 16 years might know about and might it get out before the candidate has committed to an embarrassing choice," he said.

Before the 1980s, presidential candidates typically did not unveil their running mates until the convention, often on its very last day.

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Sen. Barack Obama says Sen. John McCain offers a continuation of failed policies.

(CNN) — Barack Obama is charging that rival John McCain doesn't have any new ideas and that's why the Arizona senator's campaign is focusing its energy on anti-Obama ads.

"You haven't heard a positive thing out of that campaign in a month. All they do is try to run me down," Obama said while campaigning Wednesday in Union, Missouri.

The accusation came the same day that the Obama campaign released an ad comparing McCain to President Bush, and the McCain campaign released one likening Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

"Since they don't have any new ideas, the only strategy they've got in this election is to try to scare you about me," Obama said.

Obama said McCain and Republicans are trying to paint him as a candidate who is "too risky."

"Basically what they're saying to you is, 'We know we didn't do a good job, but he's too risky.' Well let me tell you something. When we are in such dire straits economically, when our foreign policy has gotten so messed up, what's the bigger risk: choosing change, or choosing to do the same things that got us into this mess in the first place?"

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Sen. Barack Obama holds an economic roundtable in Washington on Monday.

(CNN) — Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain used news that the United States’ budget deficit will hit a record high as an opportunity to criticize each other’s fiscal plans.

The White House on Monday projected a $482 billion deficit for the 2009 budget year. President Bush inherited a budget surplus when he took office in 2001 but has since posted a budget deficit every year.

The Obama campaign said the White House announcement is “an urgent reminder that our fiscal policies must change.”

“These have been years of unprecedented fiscal irresponsibility. That's an important issue in this election because Senator McCain is proposing to continue the same Bush economic policies that put our economy on this dangerous path and that will drive America even deeper into debt,” Jason Furman, Obama’s economic policy director, said in a statement.

Furman said Obama will “restore balance and fairness to our economy by cutting wasteful spending, shutting corporate loopholes and tax havens, and rolling back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, while making health care affordable and putting a middle class tax cut in the pocket of 95% of workers and their families.”

McCain called the Bush administration’s announcement “another reminder of the dire fiscal condition of the federal government.”

“There is no more striking reminder of the need to reverse the profligate spending that has characterized this administration's fiscal policy,” he said in a statement.

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