From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
Since his appearance on ABC's "This Week" last Sunday, McCain and his campaign have been dogged by this question: Would a McCain Administration raise Social Security payroll taxes?

The answer hasn't been all that clear.

On Sunday, McCain told ABC's George Stephanopoulos, "I have said and will say -- I will say that everything has to be on the table if we're going to reach a bipartisan agreement" on Social Security.

"So that means payroll tax increases are on the table as well?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"There is nothing that's off the table," McCain replied. "I have my positions, and I'll articulate them. But nothing's off the table."

McCain quickly came under fire from conservatives -- including the Club for Growth and Wall Street Journal editorial page -- for backing off a pledge he had made on several occasions not to raise taxes. So far this week, McCain has repeatedly tried to clarify his positions. But he also has stopped short of saying that, in a McCain White House, payroll tax increases would be out of the question in negotiations to fix Social Security.

At a town hall in Nevada on Tuesday, McCain did his best to put this tax issue to rest. "My friends, I'm gonna keep current tax rates low and cut others -- not because I want to make the rich richer, but because it keeps jobs in America and creates new ones and gets our economy moving again by making sure that you spend money as you see fit not the government spending it," McCain said in his opening remarks.

Yet later in that event, in response to a question about job losses and the flight of manufacturing overseas, McCain said that Social Security needed to be fixed through bipartisan negotiations, leaving open the idea of a payroll tax increase. "You express the concern and sorrow that so many people all over America are experiencing today -- Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, vegetarian -- no matter who it is -- sitting down together, solving the problem. Social Security is going bankrupt -- sit down and fix it together the way Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan did many years ago." That fix in the 1980s included tax increases and benefit cuts.

Then at a fundraiser that same day on the banks of Lake Tahoe, McCain told donors that the rumors they might have heard about his openness to payroll tax increases aren't true. "Some people say, 'Well, McCain says he wants to sit down and work these issues out,'" he said, alluding to the notion that tax increases would be part of such a negotiation. "Of course I do, but I have a clear record, a clear record of opposing tax increases and I'll stand by that record. But I also say to you what you know well: Americans are sick and tired of the partisanship and gridlock which afflicts our nation's capital."

The message? Although McCain himself is opposed to tax increases, Washington is full of "partisanship and gridlock," and he wants to "sit down and work these issues out," which could mean tax increases. Right?

Well, on Wednesday at a town hall in Colorado, McCain once again vowed that he will not raise taxes. "I want to look you in the eye. I will not raise your taxes nor support a tax increase. I will not do it," McCain said.

McCain also announced his specific opposition to increased Social Security taxes saying, "On Social Security, [Obama] wants to raise Social Security taxes. I am opposed to raising taxes on Social Security. I want to fix the system without raising taxes... But we need to sit down together, my friends. You expect us, Republicans and Democrats, to sit down and fix Social Security so that future generations of Americans can have the same benefits that present day retirees have."

And at a fundraiser in Kansas City on Wednesday evening, McCain previewed what these 'sit-downs' might look like. "I am opposed to raising taxes," McCain said. "Sen. Obama wants to raise your taxes. He wants to raise your taxes and if any negotiation I might have, when I go in my position will be that I am opposed to raising taxes. But we have to work together to save Social Security."

The message? In any negotiations on Social Security as president, McCain will go in saying that he's against increases in payroll taxes. But as part of these negotiations, it is possible that such an increase would become necessary for a bipartisan solution. Right?

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- About seven minutes into his remarks here, Obama was interrupted by a handful of African-American demonstrators, who stood up in the last row of a section of bleachers behind him and held up a sign that said: "What about the black community, Obama." It had a link to a Web site, http://www.uhurunews.com/, which calls itself the "Online Voice of the International African Revolution."

VIDEO: A group of hecklers disrupt a Barack Obama town hall in St. Petersburg, Fl. Obama later takes a question from one of the group.

Obama eventually stopped speaking, turned around, and said, "Excuse me, young men. This is going to be a question-and-answer session, so you can ask a question later. Let me make my statement. Why don't you all sit down? Then you can ask your question. That's why we're having a town hall meeting. Sit down. You'll have a chance to answer your question. But you don't want to disrupt the whole meeting. Just be courteous. That's all. All you got to do is be courteous. That's all. Just be courteous and you'll have a chance to make your statement."

The men eventually sat down and their sign was taken away by those sitting nearby, and eventually a campaign staffer took it away.

*** UPDATE *** Per NBC's Lauren Appelbaum, Obama eventually took a question from one of these protestors. Here's the exchange:
Obama: I'm going to call on these young men. Just one of you. All right? And remember, I made a promise to you. But also I want you to give your mike back after you ask your question or make your comment.
 
Protestor: So my question is: In the face of the numerous attacks that are made against the African community or the black community, by the same US government that you aspire to lead -- and we are talking about attacks like the subprime mortgage that you spoke of -- it wasn't just a general ambiguous kind of phenomena, a phenomena that targeted the African community and Latino community, attacks like the killing of Sean Bell by the New York police department and right here in St. Petersburg by the St. Petersburg police, and Jena 6 and Hurricane Katrina, and the list goes on. In the face of all these attacks that are clearly being made on the African community, why is it that you have not had the ability to not one time speak to the interests and even speak on the behalf of the oppressed and exploited African community or black community in this country?
 
Obama: Well, I, ah, I guess, I... Hold on a second, everybody. I want everybody to be respectful. That's why we are having a town hall meeting. That's democracy at work. And he asked a legitimate question, so I want to give him an answer.

I think you are misinformed about when you say not one time. Every issue you've spoken about, I actually did speak out about. I'm going to go through the various specific examples. I've been talking about predatory lending for the last two years in the United States Senate and worked to pass legislation to prevent it when I wan in the state legislature. And I have repeatedly said that many of the predatory loans that were made in the mortgage system did target African American and Latino communities. I've said that repeatedly.

Number two, Jena Six -- I was the first candidate to get out there and say this is wrong, that there's an injustice that's been done and we need to change it. That's number two.

When Sean Bell got shot, I put out a statement immediately saying this is a problem. (Protestors yell out something inaudible.) I'm sorry, wait, wait, wait, don't start, hold on, don't start, you know shouting back, I'm just answering your question. On each of these issues, I've spoken out. Now, I may not have spoken out the way you would have wanted me to speak out, which is fine.

More from Obama: Here's what I'm suggesting. What I'm suggesting is that on each of these issues that you mentioned, I have spoken out and I have spoken out forcefully. I was a civil-rights lawyer. I have passed, I passed -- hold on a second -- I passed the first racial profiling legislation in Illinois. I passed, I passed some of the toughest death penalty reform legislation in Illinois. So, these are issues I've worked on for decades. Now, that doesn't mean I'm always going to satisfy the way you guys want these issues framed. I understand that, which gives you the option of voting for somebody else. It gives you the option of running for office yourself. Those are all options. But the one thing that I think is important, the one thing that I think is important is that we're respectful towards each other. And what is true is I believe that the only way we're going to solve our problems in this country... The only way were going to solve our problems in this country is if all of us come together -- black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, young, old, disabled, gay, straight. That I think has got to be our agenda.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** When race is an issue: Let's get something straight: Anytime race is THE topic du jour in the campaign, it's a bad day for Obama. Period. There are a lot of voters out there who don't want to have their vote judged through the prism of race. (If somehow a swing voter in Ohio, Pennsylvania or Michigan is made to feel that voting against Obama will make them a racist, they'll be resentful.) While today's papers are filled with "who played the race card first?" allegations between the two campaigns, know this fact: The Obama campaign doesn't want the race issue to become an overarching theme of the campaign. How do we know this? Check out the very defensive Obama campaign response to Rick Davis's sledgehammer against Obama. So as you follow this back-and-forth, it's worth knowing the Obama campaign is going to do their best to downplay race, and the McCain campaign is going to walk a line on the issue. They certainly know if they look like they are injecting it into the campaign, it'll cost them with swing women voters -- but they also know McCain could benefit from a backlash. The thing that galls McCain and many Republicans is what they believe is a double standard. They don't understand how Obama and Dems in general get away with playing the race card to fire up black voters without getting called on it. It's messy politics and catnip for the media, but the cold hard analysis is the cold hard analysis.

VIDEO: As the fallout from the McCain campaign's "Celeb" attack ad continues, the new attack from John McCain is the claim that Barack Obama is repeatedly playing the race card when he points out that McCain wants voters to notice that he doesn't look like past presidents. Newsweek's Howard Fineman discusses.

*** The bear hug: When the McCain folks hit "Send" on that Rick Davis email at 11:46 am ET charging the Obama campaign with playing the race card, what it did was knock Obama's message of the day -- hitting McCain on Exxon's quarterly profits -- off the political front burner. (After all, what are we talking about today? Exxon? Or race?) And in a way, it appears that the larger strategy behind the negative ads, Britney and Paris, Landstuhl, etc., is to knock Obama off his message of the day and keep him busy responding to these charges. Compare this week, for instance, with last week, when Obama controlled the message. As the McCain campaign and RNC folks are touting, they've won the week, if you count winning the week as controlling the message (by the way, check out how many views the "Celeb" ad has gotten on YouTube). To use a boxing analogy, McCain is putting Obama into a bear hug -- making it nearly impossible for the Illinois senator to move (in the polls?) or land a punch. But as a big boxing aficionado, McCain also must realize that the fans often don't take too kindly to boxers who constantly bear hug their opponent. And at some point, the refs break up the bear hugging and the boxing match is forced. But for now, the McCain campaign appears to have a way to knock Obama off message. The only problem for McCain, he's still not on any message of his own, other than "not-Obama." The campaign believes their energy message did break through. Time will tell.

*** The Clinton story will never go away: One interesting development in this race card story is that Howard Wolfson seemed to back up the McCain campaign's argument for sending out yesterday's statement. "I think the McCain camp watched our primary on the Democratic side very carefully and they know that any accusation of racial divisiveness can be very, very harmful for a candidate's prospects," he said. "They heard something that Sen. Obama said and they felt they had to respond quickly to make sure that nobody got the impression that they were engaged in those kind of racial politics." And when you combine Wolfson's remarks with the fact that some Clinton supporters are pushing for a platform at the Dem convention stating that Clinton's candidacy exposed gender bias in the media, it could be an interesting day on the Dem blogs. Just asking: If Obama had lost, would there have been a push in the Dem platform to add a line that claimed the primary results exposed "pervasive racial bias in the media"? 

*** Meet Charlie Crist: With McCain (and Obama) in Florida today, our latest veep profile is of the recently engaged Florida Gov. Charlie Crist… His first job out of law school -- after three tries at the Florida bar -- was as general counsel of Minor League Baseball... Nicknamed "Chain Gang Charlie" for sponsoring legislation to bring back shackles to Florida prisons... Swims 20 laps, does 250 crunches, and usually eats just one meal a day... In high school, he was starting quarterback and class president; at Florida State, he was homecoming king and VP of the student body... Crist is largely credited with helping McCain win Florida, but his centrism -- which makes him popular in Florida -- could hurt the Arizona senator among conservatives, if Crist is picked as veep. His stance on abortion is unclear (though he claims to be "pro-life"); he's "fine" with civil unions; opposed NAFTA in a 1998 questionnaire (though he claims to be "for free and fair trade")... And he's only been governor for about a year and a half.

*** Poking Big Labor: The front page of today's Wall Street Journal is a shot across Big Labor's bow. The news that Wal-Mart is overtly warning its employees that an election of a Democratic president could result in unwanted unionization of the big chain (and perhaps other businesses) is going to make the labor movement both excited and nervous all at the same time. Make no mistake: Big business is VERY nervous that a 60-seat Senate, coupled with a 250-member Dem House and a Dem president, will mean labor laws will be eased to the point that unionization will become easier again. It's a recurring worry we've been hearing from business, and the one thing that's keeping them from trying to have it both ways with the Democrats. Wal-Mart's decision -- which obviously wasn't meant to be shared in the media -- will serve as a spark to get Big Labor even more fired up. The irony to all this is that the guy at the top of the ticket who may benefit from this enormous financial push by labor was the third choice out of three in the Dem primary. Both Clinton and Edwards had more initial labor support in the primaries than Obama.

VIDEO: Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, pleads not guilty to seven felony charges. NBC's Pete Williams has the details.

*** Talk about an October surprise: So is the embattled Ted Stevens actively working against his party? The senator, up for re-election in November, has successfully pushed for an expedited trial in October. Does Stevens realize how much attention his trial will get in the Alaska papers? Sure, he may be found not guilty, and that's apparently the gamble. But wow -- this is about the last thing the GOP needs. A guilty verdict in October would be devastating, not just to Stevens but also to the entire party. Ask Mitch McConnell if he wants a Stevens guilty verdict used in his surprisingly tough race in Kentucky? Ditto Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina…

*** This doesn't really help the GOP, either: Endangered Sen. Gordon Smith (R) or Oregon is up with another TV ad, praising Democrats -- this one notes his bipartisan efforts with John Kerry and Barack Obama. An earlier ad of his mentioned Obama. Is this the final sign that Oregon won't be in play for McCain come November? 
 
*** On the trail: Both candidates are in the Sunshine State. McCain gives the keynote address at National Urban League conference in Orlando; later he's in Panama City, where he holds his first media avail in eight days, hits a fundraiser, and then stops by a "Country First" concert with John Rich. Meanwhile, Obama holds another economic security town hall in St. Petersburg and then attends an organizing meeting in Orlando. 
 
Countdown to Dem convention: 24 days
Countdown to GOP convention: 31 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 95 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 172 days
 
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A Pew poll shows Obama leading McCain 47%-42% nationally.

The McCain campaign seemed to issue a warning shot to the Obama campaign that it won't let Obama subtlely use the race card as a generic deflection. But in issuing the warning, the issue of race in general popped as the topic du jour of the day. Politico has a pretty good rundown of why the McCain folks decided to push the issue yesterday: "McCain aides say their goal is to pre-empt what they believe is Obama's effort to paint any conventional campaign attacks as race-based. Obama's aim, in the view of the McCain camp: 'to delegitimize any line of attack against him,' said McCain aide Steve Schmidt… 'I don't [care] whether it helps or hurts us,' Schmidt said. 'A lie unresponded to becomes the truth.'

VIDEO: John McCain's campaign manager says Barack Obama played the race card when he criticized the Republican presidential candidate's tactics. MSNBC's David Shuster talks to political pundits.

More: "Schmidt said McCain had learned the lesson of Clinton's campaign, which began by taking her and her husband's affinity with African-American voters for granted but wound up seeing days and weeks consumed by racially charged gaffes and allegations, ranging from a New Hampshire supporter's suggestion that Obama had dealt drugs to Bill Clinton's own comparison of Obama's campaign to the Rev. Jesse Jackson's."

By the way, this is fascinating and should fire up Obama folks in the blogosphere: Clinton confidante Howard Wolfson seemed to back up Schmidt's argument. "'I think the McCain camp watched our primary on the Democratic side very carefully and they know that any accusation of racial divisiveness can be very, very harmful for a candidate's prospects,' Wolfson said on Fox News Thursday, adding that the allegations against Clinton were unfair. 'They heard something that Senator Obama said and they felt they had to respond quickly to make sure that nobody got the impression that they were engaged in those kind of racial politics.'"

The New York Times seems to put the onus of raising the race issue on Rick Davis. "With his rejoinder about playing 'the race card,' Mr. Davis effectively assured that race would once again become an unavoidable issue as voters face an election in which, for the first time, one of the major parties' nominees is African-American. And with its criticism, the McCain campaign was ensuring that Mr. Obama's race — he is the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas — would again be a factor in coverage of the presidential race. On Thursday, it took the spotlight from Mr. Obama when he had sought to attack Mr. McCain on energy issues."

"The tactic could cut both ways: it might tap into the qualms some white, working-class voters in crucial swing states may have about a black candidate, or it could ricochet back against the McCain campaign, which has been accused even by some fellow Republicans of engaging in overly negative campaigning in recent days."

The Boston Globe adds: "Obama has often talked about his physical appearance in campaign speeches, but McCain advisers said he crossed a significant line by accusing the GOP of scare tactics and alluding to his own race in the same breath."

The Los Angeles Times attempts to report out the "who started it" aspect of this race story. "'The most negative, abhorrent, nasty, vicious comment made in this race was the insinuation by Barack Obama that John McCain was going to run a racist campaign,' Steve Schmidt, McCain's chief strategist, said in an interview. 'The McCain campaign will not stand for it. There is no evidence of it. It's not true, and we will rebut it.'"

"Obama's campaign denied the candidate suggested any such thing. 'Barack Obama in no way believes that the McCain campaign is using race as an issue," said spokesman Bill Burton. 'But he does believe they're using the same low-road politics to distract voters from the real issues in the campaign.' Privately, campaign aides said Obama's comments alluded to falsehoods widely spread on the Internet and to racial comments that have plagued his campaign from the outset."

Other Democrats flatly accused McCain of using race as an issue to undercut Obama. "'He learned a lot in South Carolina in 2000, apparently not all of it good,' said Dick Harpootlian, the former Democratic chairman in the state, which has a long history of racially tinged politics. McCain lost the 2000 South Carolina GOP primary -- and his first shot at the presidency -- in part because of a whispering campaign that accused him of fathering an illegitimate black child."

ENERGY: USA Today finds that while both candidates have energy proposals that are favored by the public, Obama's proposals score a little bit higher than McCain's.

VIDEO: Last month, John McCain made a big-time reversal in announcing his support for off-shore oil drilling and since then energy executives and employees donated $1.1 million to his campaign. Guest host Mike Barnicle discusses in the Hardball Big Number.

"John McCain has found at least one issue where he enjoys something of an advantage over Barack Obama: offshore drilling for oil," the Detroit Free Press adds. "With gas prices way up this summer, polls in battleground states, including Michigan, have consistently found strong support for offshore drilling."

IRAQ: Guess what? The two are starting to agree on this one -- sort of. "But even as the two presumptive presidential nominees continue to squabble about the past, their debate over the future of U.S. troops in Iraq seems to have entered a broad new middle ground, in which the question is not whether to withdraw but rather the speed and circumstances of departure. In recent days, McCain has said he could support withdrawal over 16 months -- the timetable proposed by Obama -- provided 'conditions' were right. Obama has said that he would 'adapt' his withdrawal timeline should 'things drastically worsen as we're drawing down.' Both advocate leaving a residual U.S. force in Iraq, although neither has specified the size of such a force or where it would be based."

UNIONS: Wow, the Wal-Mart story in the Wall Street Journal today is going to get the unions all fired up. Wow... this should be one LONG press release day for those who have labor union press shops regularly sending them releases. "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mobilizing its store managers and department supervisors around the country to warn that if Democrats win power in November, they'll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies -- including Wal-Mart."

"In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart store managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if stores were to be unionized. According to about a dozen Wal-Mart employees who attended such meetings in seven states, Wal-Mart executives claim that employees at unionized stores would have to pay hefty union dues while getting nothing in return, and may have to go on strike without compensation. Also, unionization could mean fewer jobs as labor costs rise."

How much of a battleground state IS Minnesota? The TV buy numbers suggest it might not be as contentious a swing state as some would have you believe. "While more than $50 million -- a record -- has been spent on presidential campaign ads nationwide during the past two months, John McCain and Barack Obama have spent just $645,000, combined, in Minnesota, according to the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project… That's the least, by far, spent by the campaigns in 14 battleground states, according to the project, which tracks political advertising."

Not many politicians allow an aide to admit so publicly that he/she writes in the candidate's voice.  Asked about one particular observation McCain makes about himself in one of his books, his alter ego, Mark Salter explains. "'It's his voice, but I'm going inside his head to speak some psychological truth about him. I'm drawing a conclusion based on my observation of him. I always show him: "This is what I've written. This is what I think about you. Is this fair?"' No one is closer to McCain than Salter, who has been with him since 1989. Their associates describe a 'mind meld' that has created an extraordinarily close partnership. But even Salter sometimes has to guess what McCain might be thinking, particularly on sensitive subjects. 'Things go on inside McCain's head that rarely or never come out,' Salter explained."

This Washington Post piece goes deeper to figure out just how McCain thinks. "[M]uch of what goes on inside McCain's head is neither mysterious nor hidden. There is an elaborate record of the principles and beliefs that govern McCain's thinking about politics and policy in the five books he and Salter have written, scores of speeches they have collaborated on over nearly two decades, and countless interviews, including one last week for this article."

"That record reveals a complicated man whose approach to the world cannot be summed up in an aphorism or two. He is a striver and a combatant, often at war with himself, who has conducted a lifelong struggle 'to prove to myself that I was the man I had always wanted to be,' as he has written. Multiple influences have shaped his thinking, from his famous grandfather and father, both four-star Navy admirals, to his travels and his extensive reading of history and literature."

"On many points, the thinking is clear and consistent. For example, McCain believes in a muscular mission for America. As he has put it: 'Our nation has a unique place in the world. We are the greatest force for good on earth. We chart history's course. Yes, we must be involved in the destiny of other nations.' His favorite president is Theodore Roosevelt, reformer at home, activist wielder of a big stick abroad. He has read Edward Gibbon's six-volume 'History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -- twice. But his favorite book is Ernest Hemingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls,' whose protagonist, Robert Jordan, has been McCain's hero since he was 13."

Here's a fun anecdote: McCain has NOT read Obama's books but is watching DVDs of him in debates. "McCain has offered little analysis of the electorate's reaction to him or the path he hopes to follow to victory in November. Although he hammers Obama in public appearances, he also has respectful words for his opponent. In the interview last week, he said, 'I'm surprised that I am as close in the polls as I am right now. When you look at the fantastic campaign that Senator Obama has waged, it really is quite remarkable.'"

"Two books that McCain has not read are the bestsellers written by Obama. Isn't he curious about his opponent? 'Well, I've been watching DVDs of his debates,' McCain replied, 'and I pay attention to his speeches.'"

"Does this combination of respect for Obama's campaign and apparent indifference to his books suggest another example of McCain's romantic fatalism? Salter, the alter ego, emphatically rejected that idea. 'I can tell you right now," he said of McCain, 'he can't stand losing. . . . And sometimes when he's losing, it's not all romantic and glorious. He gets pretty tough. . . . He's as resilient a human being as I've ever encountered. There are no permanent defeats for him.'"

McCain mocked Obama for suggesting Americans should make sure their tires are inflated and get regular tune-ups to save energy. "Yesterday, he suggested we put air in our tires to save on gas," McCain said. "My friends, let's do that, but do you think that's enough to break our dependence on Middle Eastern oil? I don't think so." Of course, Obama never claimed inflated tires was a panacea, as also he mentioned broader aspects of his energy plan and has done so consistently.

Per Obama spokesman Bill Burton, Obama today in Florida "will be introduced by Jeff Blake, a St. Petersburg resident who will talk about his own experiences tackling the challenges that face so many Americans under the Bush economy -- rising gas prices and stagnant wages. Sen. Obama will discuss his plans to provide real relief to families struggling in these tough economic times and the need for further stimulus to jumpstart the economy." 

VIDEO: Sen. Barack Obama held an economic town hall in Springfield, Missouri challenging John McCain to a duel on tax policy. Newsweek's Richard Wolffe talks about who has the better chance of winning the battle over the economy.

Yesterday, "Obama seized on a record oil company profit to argue that rival John McCain offers only tax breaks for Big Oil and 'short-term gimmicks' to consumers struggling with soaring gasoline prices."

In the latest issue of National Journal, Kirk Victor notes how Obama has been able to use GOP Sen. Dick Lugar (R) in his ads. "Turn on a television in a battleground state and chances are that you'll see an ad featuring … Obama talking about his work with … Lugar to stop the spread of nuclear weapons… Lugar has endorsed Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, but he does not object to being mentioned in the Obama ad, which is airing in 18 states, including Lugar's own Indiana. 'I've made no attempt to either suggest or censor ads run by Democratic candidates,' Lugar said at a press conference on U.S.-Pakistan relations on July 15. 'I'll simply say that the ad is accurate.'"

More: "That a Republican lawmaker would appear in a Democratic presidential ad is unusual, observed Darrell West of the Brookings Institution. 'Just being in an ad, even if you have not endorsed the individual, conveys a sense of bipartisanship. So it does indirectly aid Obama, whether Lugar intended that or not,' he noted."

Don't ignore a Ralph Z. Hallow report, particularly this one that puts Sarah Palin and Carly Fiorina on the McCain short list. What's interesting in this piece: how hard Newt Gingrich is pushing Palin.

VIDEO: A Hardball panel discusses who are the top candidates on Barack Obama and John McCain's short list for vice president.

The Wall Street Journal does a "who is" Tim Kaine piece.

More compiled by NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger and Carrie Dann…
REPUBLICANS: On the first anniversary of the Minnesota bridge collapse, there are suggestions the GOP is trying to downplay the tragedy, because of the GOP convention in St. Paul and the prospects of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who was criticized for a slow response and vetoed state infrastructure funding.

Larry Kudlow endorses Palin for vice president.

DEMOCRATS: Friends of Sen. Evan Bayh think he's being considered more closely than in previous cycles.

So we're curious: If Obama had lost, would there have been a push in the Dem platform to add a line that claimed the primary results exposed "pervasive racial bias in the media"?  Exactly...

Anyway, some Clinton supporters are trying to push a line in the Dem platform that claims Clinton's candidacy exposed supposed gender bias. "A Democratic committee devoted to writing the platform is to meet today in Cleveland to hear presentations from policy advocates, then draft the document. 'There were so many examples in the media of sexist comments where we never heard from the party leadership or Barack Obama,' said Stacy Mason, executive director of a political action committee called WomenCount, which claims thousands of members. The group ran newspaper ads in the spring urging Clinton to stay in the contest."

VIDEO: John McCain's campaign manager accuses Barack Obama of playing the "race card" in his campaign. The Obama campaign responds by saying McCain is using the "same old low-road politics." NBC's David Gregory reports.

"'We're focused on why the Democratic leadership was so silent about it during the campaign,' Mason said. 'It was their obligation to come to the defense of one of their own primary candidates, and they didn't. They stayed silent during the campaign, and that's not OK.'"

Meanwhile, the New York Daily News reports that "Hillary Clinton has decided against being nominated for President at the Democrats' Denver convention, but many of her more die-hard partisans may vote for her anyway. A source close to the New York senator confirmed she won't file a formal request to the convention asking to be nominated along with Barack Obama, who eked out the victory in their fierce primary slugfest."

NRCC Chair Tom Cole must be feeling the heat big time. He's got some on-the-record advice for House Republicans -- run against the party and don't attend the GOP convo in St. Paul. "During a conference call, the National Republican Congressional Committee chairman instructed candidates, campaign managers and press secretaries that given the anti-incumbent environment, it could be beneficial for House GOP candidates to distance themselves from politicians they may be serving with next year. 'These [congressional approval] ratings are worse than we had on the eve of losing the majority,' Cole said. 'Don't be afraid to say you are disappointed in fellow Republicans… don't hesitate to be anti-Washington, D.C.'"

"The NRCC chief discouraged candidates from attending the national convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, saying that spending days there would be a 'waste of time,' and they would be better off campaigning.

The Cook Report's Jennifer Duffy has the National Journal cover story on the GOP's tough road in the Senate. "How did this year's Senate playing field become one of the most lopsided in recent memory? A quartet of important factors--political climate, math, money, and retirements--are all working against the GOP this time. By any number of measures, the national political climate is extremely hostile to the Republican Party."

More: "Basic math is also working against Senate Republicans, because they must defend 23 seats compared with the Democrats' 12. (Two of the GOP-held seats will be on the line in special elections in November because of the resignation last December of Mississippi's Trent Lott and the death in June 2007 of Wyoming's Craig Thomas.) Heading toward Election Day, Democrats enjoy a target-rich environment while Republicans have many fewer opportunities to offset losses by flipping Democratic-held seats into their column."

"The third factor, money, is traditionally a plus for Republicans--or at least a wash. This time, though, Democrats have an overwhelming advantage: As of June 30, the DSCC had raised $93.3 million for the cycle and had $46.2 million in the bank. The National Republican Senatorial Committee had taken in $58.8 million and had $24.6 million cash-on-hand. The gap is huge even though the NRSC's fundraising has improved in recent months."

"A final factor this year is retirements. One of the basic tenets of campaign politics is that it's always easier to snatch an open seat away from the other party than it is to defeat an incumbent. Five Republican senators are retiring: Wayne Allard of Colorado, Larry Craig of Idaho, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and John Warner of Virginia. Not a single Democratic senator plans to retire this year."

"Together, these four factors put 10 of the Republicans' Senate seats in play. Democrats contend that an additional four or five could become competitive by fall."