Obama’s out with a new ad, hitting Romney on his tax plan. Here’s the script: “The middle class is carrying a heavy load in America, but Mitt Romney doesn’t see it. Under the Romney plan, a middle-class family will pay an average of up to $2,000 more a year in taxes, while at the same time, giving multi-millionaires like himself a $250,000 tax cut. So, Romney hits the middle class harder and gives millionaires an even bigger break. Is that the way forward for America?”

“President Obama wants to make it clear that, in his own words, ‘I am a huge Clint Eastwood fan.’ ‘He is a great actor, and an even better director,’ the president said in an interview with USA Today aboard Air Force One, on his way to campaign rallies in Iowa Saturday. ‘I think the last few movies that he's made have been terrific.’” And: “Was he offended? ‘One thing about being president or running for president — if you're easily offended, you should probably choose another profession.’ Obama said with a smile.” At the DNC, "I think we'll be playing this pretty straight," Obama said.

“National political conventions used to be about just two things: Nominate a presidential ticket, then sell it to the American electorate with a big TV show,” the Charlotte Observer writes. “This year, there’s a third goal: Win North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes – and perhaps a second term in the White House – by using the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte as a campaign organizing tool.”

“Democrats plan to put their convention spotlight on foreign policy this week, praising President Obama’s signature achievements overseas and portraying Mitt Romney’s views as misguided and dangerously confrontational, according to senior campaign officials,” the Boston Globe writes.

“With the spotlight moving away from his Republican challenger, President Obama needs to take advantage of the Democratic convention in Charlotte this week to draw sharp policy differences with Mitt Romney and frame a crystal-clear choice for voters heading into the closing weeks of the campaign, a group of top Democrats surveyed by the Globe said,” the Globe also writes.

“In his warm-up for the Democratic National Convention, President Barack Obama is tangling with a couple of rivals, only one named Mitt. The other is voter apathy, especially among the young,” AP writes.

“Barreling through the presidential campaign’s competitive states, President Barack Obama will detour deep in the South on Labor Day, long enough to offer a presence and promises of help to those flooded out by Hurricane Isaac,” AP writes. “Obama will mix politics and presidential empathy on a holiday traditionally known as an election-year turning point, with summer closing and more voters paying attention to the race for the White House. Obama shortened his campaign schedule after Isaac pounded the Gulf Coast, but he will still rally the labor vote in Ohio on Monday.”O