By J. Patrick Coolican

Published Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008 | 10:54 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 10:15 a.m.

(The Sun has gone on the road to listen to voters and talk to political leaders around the West. Reporters will examine the economic, cultural and demographic forces re-shaping the region as they drive to Denver for the first of the two major party conventions the Sun will cover.)

ALBUQUERQUE — Check our stories and photos in today's Sun. Yesterday we were with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama here.

Here's the top:

"Democrats are anxious these days.

Since Sen. Barack Obama returned from a trip to the Middle East and Europe, he has slipped slightly in the polls and his main opponent, Sen. John McCain, has driven the race onto ground friendlier to the Republican.

McCain has accused Obama of being a substance-free celebrity willing to sell out his country for a political campaign. McCain has attacked Obama for using race as a political tool.

One battleground-state Democrat said this: “I particularly hope he strengthens his economic message — even Sen. Obama can speak more clearly and specifically about the kitchen-table, bread-and-butter issues like high energy costs,” Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland told The New York Times recently.

Times columnist Paul Krugman disagreed, saying Obama’s Web site is thick with policy detail: "'No, the problem isn’t lack of specifics — it’s lack of passion. When it comes to the economy, Mr. Obama’s campaign seems oddly lethargic.'"

The Obama camapaign is cleary responding and did so yesterday here, as you'll see from our report.

Also, we spent time Friday with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

We're off to the set of a TV show (yes, they have a lot of them here) to see how other Intermountain West states are diversifying their economies.