As Obama Surfs, McCain Owns Week

Obama says decision to visit grandmother was easy to make

(NEWSER) - The economy continues to be issue No. 1 on the campaign trail. John McCain kicked off his “Joe the Plumber Tour” in all-important Florida, blasting Barack Obama's tax plan for redistributing the wealth of ordinary Americans like Joe. Obama again linked McCain to the failed economic policies of George W. Bush before heading to Hawaii to visit his ailing grandmother, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

Part of plot to win votes for McCain, he claims

(NEWSER) - Invoking the era of Cold War conspiracies, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the US of sparking conflict in Georgia to give John McCain a campaign boost. “They need a small victorious war,” the told CNN. He insisted the US encouraged Georgia to attack their two breakaway regions earlier this month, forcing Russia to intervene. The White House called the accusations “absurd." More»

Hawaii surely rejuvenated Dem for fall campaign ... but 3 tips just in case

(NEWSER) - What did Barack Obama do on vacation in Hawaii, beside body-surf and eat shaved ice? He learned three important lessons, John Dickerson writes in Slate, about how to handle the coming phase of the campaign:

1. “Keep it big.” The Democrat has decided to push the “turning-point election” idea. Voters aren’t pleased with the way things are going, so he’ll stress “change vs. more of the same” even harder.

Possible Obama VP will join McCain's surrogates Lieberman and Graham on ground

(NEWSER) - Top Obama surrogate Sen. Joe Biden announced today that he’s heading to Georgia, joining McCain surrogatges Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham. The move bodes well for both Biden, who’s been much-discussed as a possible vice president, and Obama, who needs to seem active as McCain dispatches men and talks with key leaders of the conflict almost daily, Talking Points Memo reports. More»

'Today we are all Georgians', he writes

(NEWSER) - The US and its allies must aggressively pressure Russia to take its troops out of Georgia including the breakaway province of South Ossetia, declares John McCain in the Wall Street Journal. "This small democracy, far away from our shores, is an inspiration to all those who cherish our deepest ideals," the candidate writes. "As I told President Saakashvili on the day the ceasefire was declared, today we are all Georgians." More»