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' Steve Chaggaris and Maria Gavrilovic:

Barack Obama's grandmother, 85-year-old Madelyn Dunham, is very ill and Obama will take time off from the campaign trail to head to Hawaii to be with her later this week.

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From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

(ABINGTON, PA.) Barack Obama praised his running mate, and Pennsylvania native, Joe Biden today for performance at the debate, saying that the “Scranton boy done good.”

“I was so proud of Joe,” Obama said today, “America, I think, saw clearly why I felt he would be such a great vice president.”

Although he doesn’t often talk about Sarah Palin on the campaign trail, Obama blasted her today for suggesting at the debate that his economic policies are “job killing.”

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From CBS News' Arden Farhi:

(GREENSBORO, N.C.) - After campaigning for nearly a month on his own, Joe Biden played second fiddle today in Greesnboro, introducing his running mate at an outdoor rally before an estimated crown of 20,000. The two democratic nominees last appeared together after the Democatic Convetion on August 31 in Battle Creek, Mich.

Biden's opening remarks focused on Barack Obama's qualifications as a commander in chief and steward of the economy. Foreign policy and the economy were two themes of last night's presidential debate.

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From CBS News' Arden Farhi:

(MILWAUKEE) - Joe Biden met with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili this morning at a hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The two men met for close to an hour behind closed doors.

Biden assured Saakashvili of the U.S. government's support of Georgia in a brief statement to the press.

"We will not let the intentions of the Russian government bring down a democratically elected government," he said.

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This post was reported and written by CBS News’ Arden Farhi:

Aboard Joe Biden’s campaign plane Thursday night you would have found a dozen or so staffers, a small army of secret service agents, a few members of the traveling press corps, some makeshift decorations and plenty of empty seats.

On the flight from Warwick, Rhode Island, to Milwaukee Thursday night, six network news producers (myself included) and two camera crews dotted the rows of vacant seats reserved for the media, but not a single print reporter nor TV correspondent could be found. All told, 11 members of the media were on board. If a tree falls in Bidenland . . . you know the rest.

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By Michelle Levi and Steve Chaggaris

Obama is expected to make a brief campaign stop in Greensboro, N.C. this morning before spending the rest of the day in Virginia, fueling speculation about whether he’ll choose Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va., as his running mate. At 11:30, Obama holds a “discussion” on the economy and will be introduced by U.S. Senate candidate and former Gov. Mark Warner, D-Va. Later, Obama will campaign in Lynchburg and he’ll address a couple of union conventions via satellite. This evening in Lynchburg, he’ll host a town hall meeting at 6:35pm ET.

McCain will hold a town hall in Las Cruces, NM at noon. Later, he meets privately with the United Dairy Farmers National Association. McCain will take a few days off the campaign trail beginning tomorrow.


VEEPSTAKES
Obama described his ideal running mate and, interestingly, only used the pronoun “he” to describe that person. “I want somebody who has integrity, who’s in politics for the right reasons, I want somebody who is independent. Somebody who is able to say to me, ‘you know what, Mr. President I think you’re wrong on this and here’s why’ and will give me who will help me think through major issues and consult with me, would be a key advisor. I want somebody who is capable of being president and who I would trust to be president... I won’t hand over my energy policy to my vice president, without knowing necessarily what he's doing....he wont be one of these 4th branches of government." CBS News’ Maria Gavrilovic notes that Obama had made a point to use “he or she” before last night’s comments. A hint? Or just a slip-up?

CBS News’ Ambinder, “Obama: What We Know And Don’t Know About Timing”

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McCain will tour an oil rig platform near New Orleans today at 11am. He had to cancel a planned visit last month due to weather.

Obama will address the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Orlando, Fla., today at 9am ET. He will also speak to members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union via satellite from Orlando. Later, he hosts a town hall meeting in Raleigh, N.C. at 6:30pm ET.


VEEPSTAKES
NY Times' Nagourney and Zeleny, "Obama Ready to Announce Running Mate This Week"

Washington Post’s Balz, “Who’s No. 2? Obama Keeps Everybody Guessing”

Politico's Allen, "Exclusive: McCain to name VP on Aug. 29"

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By Michelle Levi and Steve Chaggaris

McCain will speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Orlando, Fla., today at 9am. He will then attend an 11:15 am ET business roundtable in Cocoa Beach, FL.

Obama is in Albuquerque, N.M., where he will host a roundtable on women and the economy at 12:15pm ET followed by a town hall meeting there at 2:55pm ET.


NEW OVERNIGHT: Even though he declared, “I will win. Don’t worry about that,” Obama called himself the "underdog" last night at a San Francisco fundraiser saying, "Change is always tough. And electing me is change. It means that people are going to hesitate a little bit. Ba-rack O-bama. They’re still getting past that name." He later added, "Even when people are having a tough time, sometimes the devil you know may be preferable to the unknown." During the introduction, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi effusively praised Obama, perhaps overly effusively, calling him "a leader that God has blessed us with at this time."

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By Michelle Levi and Steve Chaggaris

McCain holds a closed morning meeting with members of his campaign in Aspen, CO this morning. This afternoon he will do some “campaign filming.” Lately, many of his ads have ended with a shot of the candidate standing on a mountain top looking rugged. They will continue their filming Saturday morning in California.

Obama will return from his Hawaiian vacation today and spend the night in Chicago.

On Saturday, both candidates will speak back-to-back (not on stage at the same time) at the Saddleback Church Compassion Forum in Lake Forrest, Calif. at 8pm Saturday.

On Sunday's news shows, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., and Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., will appear on CBS' "Face the Nation." NBC's "Meet the Press" has Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., and Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va. On ABC's "This Week," Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M. and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. And on "Fox News Sunday, Fmr. Gov. Tom Ridge, R-Pa., and White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.


NEW OVERNIGHT: CBS News' Marc Ambinder and Jeff Greenfield report that Obama has scheduled an event in Richmond, Va., next Thursday, but Ambinder warns that, while Obama's expected to announce his running mate next week, the Thursday event is probably not the announcement location.

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