Message for Readers

You see the bits of speeches and lengthy debates on TV. But what's it really like behind the scenes of the presidential campaigns?

We're going to find out. Times correspondents travel the country with the candidates all the time. They turn out insightful stories like this one by Maria LaGanga on Bill Richardson or this one by Mark Barabak on Barack Obama or this one by Michael Finnegan on Mitt Romney or this one by Robin Abcarian on Joe Biden.

In the coming weeks and months, Top of the Ticket will be there too, taking you inside the stories on the website and in the newspaper. We're going to interview our correspondents about what life is like on the political trail today. Regular Q and A's. What's a typical day like? How do candidates decide where to go and what to say? What are the candidates like when they're not onstage and the cameras are turned off?

But we want your help. This blog is a two-way street.

What would you like to know about life on the political road these days? Give us your questions in the Comments section below and we'll add them to the list. Then check back in the coming weeks to get your answers.

Thanks.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Elizabeth Brady Woods]

The only interesting information behind the scenes of a presidential campaign would be to reveal the TRUE character of the candidate, warts and all. I want to know if Barack Obama is as good as he sounds. Is he just a clever politician with no more heart than any of the others? Does he want to be president at all cost? What is he willing to sacrifice along the way? Where does he draw the line in his moral ground? Is he going to cave to special interests once he is president?