Today on the presidential campaign trail

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - IN THE HEADLINES

Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at GOP convention, joining Bush on opening night ... McCain, Obama urge end to fighting in Georgia, push diplomatic efforts ... Through personal history, McCain seeks to define himself and Obama ... Officials say Bill Clinton to speak at Democratic convention, ahead of Obama's running mate ... Some white supremacists believe election of Obama would set off backlash they long for

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Cheney to speak at GOP convention on opening night

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Dick Cheney, a conservative favorite but a divisive national figure, will join President Bush in addressing delegates on the opening night of the Republican National Convention, the White House said Friday.

There had been doubts about a speech by Cheney. When asked earlier this week about the vice president's plans to attend the convention, spokeswoman Megan Mitchell left the question open by saying his schedule for September had not been set.

Cheney plans to speak the same Monday night that Bush will address delegates in St. Paul, Minn., Mitchell said Friday. The convention is scheduled for Sept. 1-4, ending with John McCain's nomination.

Only 31 percent of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released this week. In June, an NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll showed Cheney viewed positively by just 23 percent.

Still, Cheney is popular with many Republican faithful and remains a behind-the-scenes power broker. The convention provides both Bush and Cheney an opportunity for a valedictory speech to the GOP.

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McCain, Obama urge halt to fighting in Georgia

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The major presidential candidates on Friday called on Russia and Georgia to end their military action and appealed for more diplomatic efforts aimed at avoiding a full-scale war.

Republican John McCain said Russia should withdraw its forces. Democrat Barack Obama condemned the violence and urged the two sides to show restraint.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has long pledged to take back control of South Ossetia, which battled Georgia for de facto independence in fighting that ended in 1992. On Friday, Moscow sent tanks into the region when Georgia launched a major military offensive to retake the breakaway province.

Campaigning in Iowa, McCain told reporters that the U.S. should convene an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to resolve the crisis.

"What's most critical now is to avoid further confrontation between Russian and Georgian military forces," McCain said.

Obama, flying to Hawaii for a vacation from the campaign trail, issued a statement declaring that "Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected."

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McCain seeks to define himself and Obama

LIMA, Ohio (AP) — John McCain's efforts to define Barack Obama have been well cataloged in recent days, from the substantive (calling Obama a tax raiser slow to offer an energy plan) to the silly (comparing the Illinois senator to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.)

What's less apparent are McCain's efforts to define himself.

McCain has adopted a new campaign slogan, "Country First," a paean to his years in the military and decades in Congress. He's begun speaking more openly about his years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. And despite his wealth and elite legacy as the scion of admirals, McCain has tried to cast himself the embodiment of middle-class, middle-American values.

The new effort was in full swing Thursday, when he spoke at a town hall meeting in northwestern Ohio.

"This is the heartland of America!" McCain proclaimed repeatedly, saying there is no more patriotic part of the country.

A new McCain ad unveiled Friday shows Obama on the cover of several national magazines, including Vanity Fair, and contends that the Democrat would raise taxes on the middle class and small businesses. In fact, Obama's proposal would raise taxes on couples making more than $250,000.

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Officials say Bill Clinton to address Democrats

CHICAGO (AP) — Party officials say former President Clinton will deliver a speech on the third night of the Democratic National Convention before an address by the as-yet-to-be-named running mate for Barack Obama.

Exactly what role the former president would play at the gathering in Denver Aug. 25-28 has been the subject of speculation since his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, ended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in early June and endorsed Obama.

The officials spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity before the details were formally announced.

Obama clinched the nomination after a sometimes bitter primary contest with Sen. Clinton. She's expected to speak on the convention's second night.

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White supremacists hope Obama win prompts backlash

PEARL, Miss. (AP) — They're not exactly rooting for Barack Obama, but prominent white supremacists anticipate a boost to their cause if he becomes the first black president. His election, they say, would trigger a backlash — whites rising up, a revolution of sorts — that they think is long overdue.

He'd be a "visual aid," says former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, in trying to bring others around to their view that whites have lost control of America. Obama's election, says another, would jar whites into action, writing letters, handing out pamphlets rather than sitting around complaining.

While most Americans have little or no direct contact with white supremacists, organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center keep close tabs; the law center estimates some 200,000 people nationwide are active in such groups. These observers think the prospect of a white revolution is fantasy.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama travels to Hawaii for vacation and holds a welcome event in Honolulu.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain visits the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, before holding an informal news conference in Rogers, Ark.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Painful taxes, hard choices for your budget. Not ready to lead. That's the real Obama." — An announcer in a new McCain campaign ad, aimed at rival Barack Obama.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Voters say they would like to see Democrats control Congress next year, a recent AP-Ipsos survey finds. Democrats were favored over Republicans 53 percent to 35 percent.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080808/ap_on_el_pr/2008_race_rundown [link]