All Blog Posts from From The Road

By CBS News’ Director of Political Coverage Steve Chaggaris:

(WASHINGTON) – When former Gov. Tom Vilsack, D-Iowa, became the first candidate to announce - two years ago - a 2008 presidential run, no one could have envisioned the ups-and-downs, the surprises and the history that would be made over the course of Campaign ’08. Here at CBS News, we chose eight talented producers in the summer of 2007 and sent them on the campaign trail to witness those twists-and-turns first-hand – to be our eyes and ears on the presidential campaigns.

Over the course of those 14 months, the off-air reporters, as we called them, watched that history unfold right in front of them: from Barack Obama's victory in January's Iowa caucuses and Hillary Clinton's insurmountable setback on Super Tuesday - which set the stage for Obama’s eventual nomination - to the battle of Republican heavyweights that resulted in the inevitable-to-improbable nomination of John McCain.

“It seems more like 14 years ago than 14 months,” said Scott Conroy, who was our producer covering Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin.

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From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

(PHOENIX) - Wearing an “Alaska Grown” sweatshirt, Sarah Palin stood under the desert sun to take questions from members of her traveling press corps one last time before returning to her home state.

The former Republican vice presidential nominee reflected on what was a relatively short, but indisputably strange, trip on the campaign trail. Asked about her thoughts on 2012, Palin was coy.

“Oh, you know it seems like so far,” she said as she held her six-month-old son Trig in her arms. “2012, we will be enrolling him in Kindergarten.”

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From CBS News' Dean Reynolds:

(CHICAGO) - Say what you will about Barack Obama. That he is a gifted and inspiring speaker. A well-educated and thoughtful man. A man with lots of devoted friends and who inspired millions of complete strangers to participate in the American democratic system.

He is a dogged, highly competitive campaigner, disciplined to a fault, suspicious of the news media and relentless in his pursuit of the presidency. A man with a healthy ego that is smart enough not to show it. Obama is all of these things.

But I have learned something about him in a year of following in his footsteps across the country and back. It is a quality that every politician covets. Jimmy Carter had none of it. Ronald Reagan had it in abundance.

It’s luck. Obama is a very lucky politician.

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From CBS News' John Bentley:

(ABOARD STRAIGHT TALK AIR) – On the final flight of John McCain’s campaign plane, McCain did something he has only done twice since he started flying on it last summer – he came back and talked to the press.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together, some have been together for almost two years,’ he said. “We’ve had a great time.”

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From CBS News' John Bentley:

(GRAND JUNCTION, COLO.) – At the last rally of his presidential campaign, John McCain said he could feel the momentum shifting in his direction in Colorado, but that his supporters still needed to help get out the vote.

“We’re going to win it right here in the state of Colorado,” McCain said. “Get your neighbors to the polls – drag them there if you need to.”

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From CBS News' John Bentley:

(GRAND JUNCTION, COLO.) – At the last rally of his presidential campaign, John McCain said he could feel the momentum shifting in his direction in Colorado, but that his supporters still needed to help get out the vote.

“We’re going to win it right here in the state of Colorado,” McCain said. “Get your neighbors to the polls – drag them there if you need to.”

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From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

(WASILLA, ALASKA) - After campaigning coast to coast on Monday, Sarah Palin caught a few winks on a red-eye flight to her home state, where fresh snow glistened in the early-morning moonlight as the temperature hovered around 14 degrees.

Palin voted early this morning inside the tiny City Hall building where just six years ago she presided as mayor of this once unknown frontier town outside Anchorage. Proudly donning her “I Voted Today” sticker, the Alaska governor delivered a short statement to reporters and took a few questions before she heads to Phoenix to find out whether she’ll become the first female vice president of the United States.

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From CBS News' John Bentley:

(PHOENIX) – John McCain has always had superstitions about Election Day. He likes to go see a movie, because, he has said, he doesn’t think he can do much more campaigning than he’s already done.

He also doesn’t like to campaign on Election Day, a holdover from an earlier era of politics when politicians seldom held any events on the day voters went to the polls.

McCain will break both of those self-imposed rules today.

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From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

(CHICAGO) - Barack and Michelle Obama voted this morning just shortly after 730am central time. The Obamas, accompanied by daughters, Sasha and Malia, did not wait in the long line outside of the Beulah Shoesmith polling station in Hyde Park.

Upon arriving, the Democratic nominee walked over to a table, where he and Michelle signed in. They then walked over the voting station, where they spent about twenty minutes filling out the ballots. Obama appeared relaxed, often smiling and joking with daughter, Malia.

After casting his ballot, Obama looked over to the press and said, "I voted." Cheers erupted in the polling station.

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From CBS News' Ryan Corsaro:

(WILMINGTON, DEL.) - This morning, Joe Biden woke up at his home in Wilmington, knowing that after thirty five years, it could be the last time that he’ll only hold the title of senator.

By Tuesday night, he might just be the Vice President-elect.

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