PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2008 WATCH:

The week that was....

• June 21, 2008: Obama criticized McCain for opposing federal flood prevention programs and spending on levees. The issue is in the spotlight since areas of the Mid-West are still flooded from tornadoes and heavy rains that swept through the area. While McCain critized Obama's opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
• June 20, 2008: Barack Obama is considering Former Senators John Edwards and Sam Nunn as potential running mates, former Vice-President Al Gore is also being mentioned.
• June 19, 2008: Barak Obama opted-out of the public campaign financing system. Previously Obama claimed he would use the system if Republican John McCain decided to use it. McCain visits flood ridden Iowa despite Gov. Chet Culver request to cancel the campaign visit.
• June 18, 2008: Barack Obama said in bring Osama bin Laden to justice he would not allow him to become a martyr."First of all, I think there is an executive order out on Osama bin Laden's head. And if I'm president, and we have the opportunity to capture him, we may not be able to capture him alive."
  McCain disccussed energy issues and ways to reduce depency on foreign oil, which would include construction of 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030 and $2 billion"to make clean coal a reality."
• June 17, 2008: Obama reached the million mark in Facebook supporters. That is more supporters than any other page on the most popular social network site.
  A McCain adviser claims"Senator Obama is a perfect manifestation of a September 10th mind-set. ... He does not understand the nature of the enemies we face."
• June 16, 2008: Former Vice President Al Gore endorses Barack Obama for the Democratic Nomination.

The Stats

• A Quinnipiac University poll found that Obama leads in the three critical states; Florida (47 percent to 43 percent), Ohio (48 percent to 42 percent), and Pennsylvania (52 percent to 40 percent).
• Michelle Obama is viewed more favorably by voters than Cindy McCain, 48 percent to 39 percent ABC News, 6-18-08
• Unfavorable view by voters: Obama 29 percent vs. McCain 25 percent - ABC News, 6-18-08

Historians Comment

• Betty Koed, assistant historian of the Senate:
  Mr. Obama's Washington He wants to change the culture there. But it's hard to fix a place you've never really known. - Newsweek, 6-30-08
• Victor Davis Hanson Obama promises to bring change -- but what kind?
  By this point in the presidential campaign, the public knows that a charismatic Barack Obama wants sweeping" change." While the national media have often fallen hard for the Illinois senator's rhetoric -- MSNBC's Chris Matthews said he felt a"thrill going up my leg" during an Obama speech -- exactly what kind of change can Obama bring if he's elected in November?...
  
  Overall, Obama's announced policies are sounding pretty much the same old, same old once promised by candidates like George McGovern, Mike Dukakis, Walter Mondale, Al Gore and John Kerry. Of course, a return to the standard big- government nostrums of the past may well be what the angry voters want after 20 years of the Bushes and Clintons.
  
  But it is not a novel agenda, much less championed by a post-racial, post-political emissary.
  
  So what are the Democrats thinking? That a mesmerizing, path-breaking African-American candidate -- coupled with Bush exhaustion -- will overcome past public skepticism of Northern presidential Democratic candidates, traditional liberal agendas and Obama's own relative lack of experience.
  
  In other words, we should count on hope rather than change. - Fresno Bee, 6-22-08
• John Hope Franklin Calls Obama Success"Amazing" - NPR, 6-20-08
• John Hope Franklin on an Obama Presidency Esteemed historian reacts to a historic race, one he never believed he would witness in his lifetime:
  "Franklin reminisces about how his mother encouraged him as a youngster to tell people he wanted to become"the first Negro president of the United States." He says the phrase then seemed"so far-fetched, so incredible that we used to really have fun just saying it."
  
  "He has shown an ability to bridge the divides in our society and unite people behind his agenda for change," he said in his mid April endorsement of Obama. - TheRoot.com, 6-19-08Video of the Interview
• Robert Mutch, a campaign-finance historian on"Obama Opts Out of Public Funding for His Campaign":
  "I'm very much in favor of public financing. However, the existing public-financing law has been flawed from the start. The main problem with the public-financing system for nearly the last 30 years is that it became too easy to get around it." - Christian Science Monitor, 6-19-08
• Myra Gutin, a first lady historian at New Jersey's Rider University and author of the 1989 book"The President's Partner: The First Lady in the 20th Century" on" Michelle Obama Makes Appeal to Women Voters, Co-Hosts 'The View' Potential First Lady Attempts to Soften Image as Husband Fights for Critical Votes":
  "She needs to relax, show she has a sense of humor and is someone who can laugh at herself. I see Michelle Obama taking advantage of more of the opportunities of the White House, making speeches on causes important to her, and see Cindy McCain taking on a more traditional, supportive spouse role." - ABC News, 6-18-08
• Gil Troy, Professor of History, McGill University on"Race for first lady": Top Picks : Race for first lady : CTV Newsnet: Gil Troy, presidential historian With five months till the presidential election, the spotlight is now on the political wives. Both Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama are trying to court the public but have stereotypes working against them. - CTV NewsNet, 6-18-08
• Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a first ladies historian on"Michelle Obama preps for general election close-up":
  Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a first ladies historian, said it's important for Michelle Obama to define herself before others define her."One comment made off-hand ... might be easily misinterpreted by the opposition," he said. - CNN, 6-18-08
• Allan Lichtman: The (Non-Electoral) Case for the Obama-Clinton Ticket - Britannica Blog, 6-17-08
• Bruce Bartlett: Election 2008: Obamacons: Conservatives That Support Obama - NPR, 6-13-08

On the Campaign Trail....

• Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland Predicting that Ohio and the Presidency will go to Barack Obama, June 21, 2008
  "Barack Obama is the nominee of our party. He is a bright, committed, energizing young leader. I met with him yesterday in Chicago and I pledged to him then, as I had previously, that I will work my heart out for him and that Ohio will work her heart out for him."
• Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: A Metropolitan Strategy for America's Future, June, 21, 2008
  
  This is something of a homecoming for me. Because while I stand here today as a candidate for President of the United States, I will never forget that the most important experience in my life came when I was doing what you do each day – working at the local level to bring about change in our communities....
  
  And it's precisely because you're on the front lines in our communities that you know what happens when Washington fails to do its job. It may be easy for some in Washington to remain out of touch with the consequences of the decisions that are made there – but not you....
  
  And just the other day, Senator McCain traveled to Iowa to express his sympathies for the victims of the recent flooding. I'm sure they appreciated the sentiment, but they probably would have appreciated it more if he hadn't voted against funding for levees and flood control programs, which he seems to consider pork. Well, we do have to reform budget earmarks, cut genuine pork, and dispense with unnecessary spending, as we confront a budget crisis left by the most fiscally irresponsible administration in modern times....
  
  But understand – while the change we seek will require major investments by a more accountable government, it will not come from government alone. Washington can't solve all our problems. The statehouse can't solve all our problems. City Hall can't solve all our problems. It goes back to what I learned as a community organizer all those years ago – that change in this country comes not from the top-down, but from the bottom up. Change starts at a level that's even closer to the people than our mayors – it starts in our homes. It starts in our families. It starts by raising our children right, by turning off the TV, and putting away the video games; by going to those parent-teacher conferences and helping our children with their homework, and setting a good example. It starts by being good neighbors and good citizens who are willing to volunteer in our communities – to keep them clean, to keep them safe, and to serve as mentors and teachers to all of our children.
  
  That's where change begins. That's how we'll bring about change in our neighborhoods. And if change comes to our neighborhoods, then change will come to our cities. And if change comes to our cities, then change will come to our regions. And if change comes to our regions, then I truly believe change will come to every corner of this country we love.

  Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker in a statement for the McCain campaign on Barack Obama's Decision not to use Federal Campaign Funding, June 19, 2008"Today, Barack Obma has revealed himself to be just another typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama. The true test of a candidate for president is whether he will stand on principle and keep his word to the American people. Barack Obama has failed that test today, and his reversal of his promise to participate in the public financing system undermines his call for a new type of politics."

• Remarks By John McCain On Energy Security, June 17, 2008
  
  I first addressed this issue at the outset of my primary campaign. And in just that time -- a little more than a year -- the price of a barrel of oil has more than doubled. And the price of a gallon of gas in America stands at more than four dollars. Yesterday, a barrel of oil cost about 134 dollars. And various oil ministers and investment firms have confidently informed us that soon we can expect to pay 200 dollars for every barrel, and as much as seven dollars for every gallon of gas. That may come as good news in Moscow, Riyadh, or Caracas, where economic growth and rising oil prices are more or less the same thing. But their oil prosperity is our energy vulnerability. And the jobs, family budgets, and futures of the American people should not depend on the whims of foreign powers. Oil and gasoline are the most vital of all commodities in a modern economy. Their price affects the cost of things even more basic and essential. America's dependence on foreign oil is a matter of large and far-reaching consequences -- none of them good....
  
  The next president must be willing to break with the energy policies not just of the current Administration, but the administrations that preceded it, and lead a great national campaign to achieve energy security for America. So in the days ahead I plan to return to the subject in a series of discussions to explain my reform agenda. And I will set forth a strategy to free America once and for all from our strategic dependence on foreign oil.