By Charlie Cain and George Hunter

Barack Obama today chucked his usual stump speech, appealing to tens of thousands at the annual Labor Day parade and rally at Hart Plaza to join him in a "moment of silent prayer" for those in the way of Hurricane Gustav. "Today is not the day for political speeches," the Democrat said in a 10-minute speech. "I hope you will forgive me and I hope you don't mind." Obama bypassed the chance to rap Republican opponent John McCain, as he did in weekend campaign stops in Battle Creek, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He said he is sure McCain and President Bush share his concern for the people of coastal Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas.

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By Joe Wagner

Sen. Barack Obama's Labor Day weekend message to Ohio was a welcome promise to spend billions of dollars to rebuild America's crumbling cities. Midway through a holiday campaign swing through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan -- critical states in the November election -- Obama drew loud cheers Sunday afternoon when he said, "We need to allow communities like Toledo to get back on their feet." The Democratic presidential nominee appeared with his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden, at an invitation-only town meeting where Obama took about a half-dozen questions, all pertaining to the economy and education.

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By Emily Banks,

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama touched on nearly all the key issues in the upcoming presidential election - the economy, energy, education, health care, national security and Iraq - during his stop in Eau Claire Sunday, but he focused most of his 30-minute speech on the troubles faced by the working class. Times are tough, he said, to about 300 people who were invited to the "BBQ with Barack Obama" at Eau Claire's Rod and Gun Park. "I don't need to tell you that, 'cause you're living it," the Illinois senator said, adding that the average family income has decreased $1,000 under President Bush and families have been pushed to their limits financially.

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By BERNARD SCHOENBURG,

Like a team of sprinters who will run a relay to Nov. 4, U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden announced their partnership to an adoring — but sweaty — crowd Saturday at the Old State Capitol. Half a day after news broke that Obama had chosen Biden of Delaware as his running mate, the two faced the nation for the first time as a pair in front of the Old State Capitol.“For months, I’ve searched for a leader to finish this journey alongside me and to join me in making Washington work for the American people,” Obama said.

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By Rex Bowman

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama opened up a campaign swing through Virginia today by visiting the state's most economially beleaguered city, Martinsville, to promote his economic agenda. "We've got to recognize we can't do things the way we've been doing them over the last eight years," Obama told a hand-picked crowd of 300 people at Patrick Henry Community College. Obama said the country needs to invest more money in roads, rail and broadband to help communities like Martinsville and surrounding Henry County. "We can't always stop companies from moving but we sure as heck don't have to give them incentives to move," he said. "We don't have to give them tax breaks to move."

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By Diana M. Alba

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama said Monday he backs continued funding for the state's military and research installations, including White Sands Missile Range. Obama, in a phone interview with the Sun-News, also said he believes defense-related research facilities in New Mexico will play a role in the nation achieving energy independence by helping develop alternative energy technology. The Democratic candidate campaigned in Albuquerque on Monday, speaking to supporters at Rio Grande High School and to a group of about 50 women at a city library. Obama spoke to the Sun-News about his plan for immigration reform. That plan includes boosting border security, cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants, improving the immigration system and creating a legal pathway for undocumented immigrants already in the United States to gain citizenship.

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By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Under a scorching sun, hundreds of people lined up recently in a parking lot here to pick up free back-to-school supplies being distributed by a local radio station. Bobbing among the shade umbrellas were a handful of workers for Senator Barack Obama, carrying clipboards and voter registration forms. On Monday night, others fanned out at a movie screening for surfers in Wrightsville Beach. They descended on a street festival in Asheville. When oil companies posted record profits, Obama supporters showed up at gas stations here with registration forms. Despite the relentless heat, and midsummer lull, the Obama campaign is mobilizing in North Carolina. The state is one of half a dozen once-solid Republican bastions, including Georgia, Indiana and Virginia, where Democrats now sniff opportunity to expand the electoral map.

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By NEDRA PICKLER

Senate candidate and former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner is scheduled to deliver the Tuesday night keynote address at this year's Democratic National Convention - the same role that launched Barack Obama to national prominence four years ago..."Mark Warner is not afraid to challenge the status quo to bring people together and get things moving," Plouffe's statement read. "It's that kind of spirit and innovation that resulted in his selection as keynote speaker on a night when the convention program will focus on renewing America's economy." The focus on Warner could help boost his prospects in Virginia, where he is trying to win an open Senate seat and Obama is also campaigning hard. Virginia went to George W. Bush in the last two elections, and the Obama campaign considers it one of its best opportunities to turn a red state blue.

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By Staff

Democrats announced the nightly themes for their Denver convention today, stressing unity, security and change. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, co-chair of the convention, said the theme for the August 25th opening night will be "One Nation," with a speech by Michelle Obama...On August 27th, the theme is "Securing America's Future" with an acceptance speech by Obama's still-unannounced vice presidential candidate. Party officials also said elected leaders, policy experts and convention speakers will respond to voter questions during an "America's Town Hall" segment on each of the convention's first three nights.

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By Josh Weinhold

Sen. Barack Obama outlined his energy and economic policy in response to an audience question about tough economic times in the Elkhart area. In the short-term, Obama said an additional round of economic stimulus checks are needed. He also said the government should invest in "fast-track" infrastructure, including roads, schools, sewer lines and bridges. "That would put people back to work right away," Obama said. "But it would also spur on economic activity for people who supply contractors. In the long-term, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said the country needs an entirely new economic engine. That includes investing in development of electric and hybrid cars, as well as wind turbines and solar panels.

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By JIM PROVANCE

Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama Tuesday vowed to break America’s “addiction’’ to foreign oil over the next 10 years, but in the meantime he wants a $1,000-per-person tax rebate to help consumers feed their habit. As his Republican opponent, John McCain, toured the Fermi 2 plant near Monroe to call attention to his plan to construct as many as 45 new power plants by 2030, Mr. Obama used a pair of northeastern events to voice support for his tax credit and characterize the Arizona senator’s plan to increase offshore drilling as just an extension of President Bush’s policies. “His plan will not lower prices today,’’ Mr. Obama told a crowd of about 2,500 at Austintown Fitch High School. “You won’t see a drop of oil from John McCain’s plan for the next seven years. Increased domestic oil production certainly has its place as we make our economy more fuel efficient.

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By Colette M. Jenkins

Sen. Barack Obama continued presenting his proposal for the nation's energy crisis this morning at the Austintown Fitch High School gymnasium. A day after unveiling his ''New Energy for America'' plan in Lansing, Mich., the Democratic presidential hopeful told an Ohio crowd of more than 2,500 that the United States got to the point of $4-a-gallon gasoline because of our dependence on foreign oil. He said we need to increase fuel efficiency and increase renewable sources.Obama spent the first half of his hourlong campaign stop speaking about his energy plan before shifting to a town-hall format in which he took questions about education, the war in Iraq, treatment of veterans and infrastructure for interstate, high-speed, lightweight rail travel.

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By Staff

The crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as he stepped to the Lansing Center stage for a campaign event. The Illinois senator was in Michigan on Monday to talk about energy and the economy, two issues he knows are resonating nationally and in this critical industrial swing state. After he was serenaded, Obama said, "There is no place I would rather be on my birthday than Lansing, Michigan." Obama turned 47 on Monday. He then began telling the audience the details of his plan to deal with high energy prices. Obama wants to tax the windfall profits of oil companies and use some of that money to help motorists pay the rising price of gas, help develop more fuel-efficient cars, among other solutions.

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By Ed Tibbetts

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama touted his energy policies here today, arguing that drilling offshore won’t produce any oil for at least 10 years. He also accused rival John McCain of doing the bidding of oil companies that are making record profits. Obama held a town hall meeting here and also visited victims of the June flooding as he set about refocusing his campaign on domestic issues in the wake of a much-publicized tour of Europe. Before a packed gymnasium on the Coe College campus here, Obama called for greater fuel-efficiency standards for cars, pushed a rebate to help consumers deal with high gas prices and said oil companies ought to drill on land they’ve already leased.

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By Chad Livengood

Barack Obama laid out his opposition to opening up American land and waterways to more drilling for oil at a rally in Springfield on Wednesday. The presumed Democratic nominee said authorizing oil companies to drill for more domestic oil and gas in Alaska and off coastal shores will not solve the country's energy crisis. "The oil companies right now have 68 million acres of leases that they are not using," Obama told an energized crowd of 1,550 packed into the Glendale High School gymnasium. "They are holding land that they're not drilling and now they want to get some more (land). And we've got no guarantee they're going to use it." "There's no law that says the oil is only to be used by Americans," Obama added. Instead, Obama says the country needs a national energy independence initiative similar to the 1940s Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb and the 1960s Apollo mission to get a man on the moon.

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