Barack Obama heads for North Carolina to prepare for Tennessee
Barack Obama's presidential debate prep got all messed up last week before his initial verbal confrontation with Republican John McCain down in Mississippi.
There was that minor kerfuffle over the major international financial crisis and McCain sort-of suspending his campaign but then Obama had to go back to Washington to sit at one end of the White House Cabinet table where he hopes to sit in the middle come January and pretend to consult with President Bush, which reportedly didn't go too well, although McCain didn't lose his temper like some people hoped.
Anyway, the freshman Illinois senator's got his prep time all laid out already for the next debate.
As the nation's political attention focuses on the sole vice presidential debate in St. Louis tonight, the Asheville Citizen-Times is reporting that Obama will settle down for a few days in western North Carolina over the weekend to prepare for his second of three go-arounds with McCain.
That comes next Tuesday in Nashville. This one will be a townhall format, McCain's favorite and the style of the weekly get-together he proposed with Obama for last summer, which Obama seemed to agree to but changed his mind again.
According to the newspaper, Obama has no events planned during his prep stay. But campaigns can always throw one together quickly to reap some publicity and let the candidate practice some new lines before real audiences.
-- Andrew Malcolm
Still time before tonight's VP debate, which we'll be live-blogging, to register at Twitter here to get instant alerts of all new Ticket items flashed straight to your cell.
Photo credit: Associated Press
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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why would anyone in their right mind vote for someone who wants to give SS to illegal immigrants who haven't even paid into it like we have all our lives. Who wants to give them even more health care then they are getting now when Americans don't even have health care because we either make to much or can't afford it. An he wants health care for us?They make the same money as me but i make to much but they don't.Obama doesn't want English as our language what does he want us to speak? He wants to give illegals free collage but Americans have to pay big bucks?He just wants to hand over citizenships to them with out them going through what other people who became Americans had to do what a slap in their face .Obama wants to have open borders thats not a good thing. You have to look deeper then what they are just talking about you have to look at the big picture. will he really be good for this country all around and the answer is no.
Posted by: kevin | October 02, 2008 at 08:53 AM
Obama is steady and will do great in the two remaining debates. Mc Same has no game changer left up his sleeve except perhaps if he showed up with Bin Ladens head on a stick. Mc Same is now Mc Lame and when you put Sarah the talking doll next to him he has even less chances of winning in four weeks. The trend lines are pointing strongly at an Obama election and that America is a great thing proving we are too smart to get fooled twice by Rove. YES WE CAN! SI SE PUEDE! OBAMANOS!
Posted by: Col Joseph Bento | October 02, 2008 at 09:10 AM
Well, she is just stating the obvious. What secret did she really reveal? It's all over the news anyway about Biden (i.e., "Barack America", TV in the early 1900s, etc). Biden gaffes. It's kind of stupid that you point how that Claire is stupid to say that. She's telling it like it is.
Posted by: Joshai Turnal | October 02, 2008 at 09:11 AM
Oh the Republican whiners....stay tuned for the train wreck tonight with Parah salin
Posted by: Tom | October 02, 2008 at 09:27 AM
You can add up all the stupid things Mr. Biden has said in 38 years of public service and they are equal to the stupid things Mrs. Palin has said in 38 weeks.
Posted by: Tangito | October 02, 2008 at 11:42 AM
I live in Asheville, NC, and tonight on the 6:00 news they got breaking news that Barack Obama will hold a rally at Asheville High School on Sunday at 3:00.
Posted by: Erica Rahn | October 02, 2008 at 07:45 PM
I am from western north carolina-asheville- to be exact and he is speaking sunday 10/5 at 2 pm at our local high school a projected 20-25,000 supporters will be there. He also spoke tonight 10/4 at the Grove Park Inn and Spa were all the democratics are staying. They all made a speech. So to clarify things on THIS subject he is in town and he IS speaking.
--Obama-Biden--
Posted by: Obama-Biden08 | October 04, 2008 at 07:19 PM
What a fun few days in my hometown! Barack Obama prepared for tonight's debate in Asheville, and the whole town was on Cloud Nine! He drew 28,000 at a rally Sunday (not bad for a town of 70,000 people! Do you participate in rallies when a candidate comes to a town near you, or do you just hear about it on the news?
You can vote in my poll regarding who you think won the debate tonight at peoplepowergranny.blogspot.com
Posted by: People Power Granny | October 07, 2008 at 09:27 PM