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Sun Expanded Coverage
(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.)
ON THE ROAD, BETWEEN ALBUQUERQUE AND LAS VEGAS, N.M. -- It's VP announcement day for Obama, according to a lot of speculation. He's in Virginia, then to Chicago and Springfield, Ill., where he announced 19 months ago. There's a rally in Indiana Saturday. Who will it be? (Is it me, or has the press corps spent an inordinate amount of resources trying to learn something they won't learn before anyone else. And who cares if you're first? Even if you are first, it will be by about 15 minutes tops. It's playground bragging rights.)
Anyway, speculalation is that he announces today because you never announce news -- unless it's bad news -- on a Friday. The Saturday papers are the least read, and the Friday evening news' the least watched. (The Reagan image masters, like Nevada's own Sig Rogich, knew this, which is why they announced bad news on Friday evenings. You'll recall the "West Wing" ep when they call it "taking out the trash."
The big and story this morning, Sen. John McCain told Politico he won't make a one-term pledge, and then there's the bigger and totally substance-free story, McCain giving a gift to Obama when he couldn't recall how many homes he and his wife own.
I talked to a voter yesterday who mentioned McCain's personal wealth. It really cuts into the attempts to call Obama an elitist. N.Y. Sen Chuck Schumer brought it up recently, saying he was disappointed the Obama camp hadn't zeroed in on it. Expect surrogates to really mock McCain on this. Tim Kaine has already done so. The Virginia goveror is on the short list for V.P.
Tomorrow we'll have two stories, one on the impact of the Iraq War on the race in the Intermountain West, as well as profiles of Iraq War vets, each with Vegas ties. Plus great photos and video.
We're going to Las Vegas, N.M. E-mail with suggested questions for residents there.
Barack Obama wants to raise a KAINE -- Virginia Governor, Tim Kaine, that is! OsiSpeaks.com