Pure Horserace: Enough Is Enough For Obama

Democrat's Decision To Limit Debate Appearances May Prevent Overkill

(CBS)  If yesterday’s debate seemed oh-so familiar to even the most casual of political junkies, they’re hardly alone. While both parties have engaged in enough debates and joint appearances to fill the summertime television schedule, Democrats have been much more prolific with their events. In just the past few weeks, most all of the candidates on that side of the aisle have appeared before national television audiences, labor groups, a gay-rights organization and answered questions submitted to the video-sharing Web site, YouTube.

For at least one campaign, it’s getting a little out of control. Barack Obama’s camp yesterday announced that their candidate will be sharply cutting back on such appearances in the future, saying the demand is just too great. If they agreed to accept every such invitation, the campaign said, there would simply be no time left over for the important things, like, you know, actual campaigning. Obama’s campaign said they will participate in the four remaining debates sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, two Iowa debates in December and one sponsored by Univision, but are unlikely to agree to any more debates or similar forums.

In a blog posting at the campaign Web site, Obama manager David Plouffe writes, “unfortunately, we simply cannot run the kind of campaign we want and need to, engaging with voters in the early states and February 5 states, if our schedule is dictated by dozens of forums and debates. Ultimately, the one group left out of the current schedule is the voters and they are the ones who ask the toughest questions and most deserve to have those questions answered face to face.”

Before anyone starts suffering from withdrawal symptoms or complaining about the lack of exposure for these candidates seeking the nation’s highest office, consider this: According to Obama’s campaign, they have already participated in seven debates and an additional 19 candidate forums. And, it’s a move which should help to bring the Democratic field back in line with a strategy they seemed to have abandoned over the past few months.

In an effort to limit the number of these events, the DNC officially “sanctioned” a series of six debates. In 2004, the Democratic presidential field found themselves in numerous debates and forums sponsored by various interest groups which, at times, seemed to be an exercise in overkill. Obama’s announcement should mean we’ll see a little less of these candidates on stage together and, hopefully, make those events a little more interesting and meaningful than the debate-a-week rut we’ve been in. — Vaughn Ververs


None Better Than Nunn? Another former senator is considering entering the presidential race, but unlike Fred Thompson, Democrat Sam Nunn of Georgia unlikely to be familiar to most Americans despite an impressive foreign policy portfolio. But Nunn tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he may eventually enter the race as an independent candidate once the Democratic and Republican nominees are clear.

"My own thinking is, it may be a time for the country to say, 'Timeout. The two-party system has served us well, historically, but it's not serving us now,’” Nunn said in an interview. "I am frustrated, and clearly frustrated, with the fact that I think my children and grandchildren are not going to have the kind of future they should be having."

One of Nunn’s options includes running for president under the banner of Unity ’08, the Internet-based plan to field a bipartisan presidential ticket outside the typical two-party structure. That would provide Nunn with a vehicle for making his name and views more widely known — something he would certainly need.

While his chances of victory would be very slim, Nunn’s record could attract some attention: His name is attached to landmark legislation that led to dismantling of nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union. His views on social and economic issues are mixed enough to make it difficult to label him as liberal or conservative. That said, it would take a major shift in the race to allow Nunn to be more than a spoiler should he enter the race. — David Miller


Biden’s Buy: Like Nunn, Democrat Joe Biden has made a name for himself mostly on foreign policy issues. Yet Biden’s presidential bid has met with little success so far. But the Delaware senator obviously feels that his stance on one particular global issue, the war in Iraq, can vault him higher in the polls — the war is the focus of Biden’s first television ad, which started airing in Iowa on Sunday.

The ad features Biden addressing the camera, discussing climbing into a C-130 cargo plane during a trip to Iraq and seeing a strapped-down, flag-draped coffin being transported to the United States. “It turned that cargo bay into a cathedral,” Biden says. “And all I could think of was the parents waiting at the other end. We must end this war in a way that doesn’t require us to send their grandchild back.”

The solemn piece is unlike those seen from other Democratic candidates, which have warmer and more uplifting — some even humorous. Biden, it appears, hopes that voter outrage over the war will be potent than anything else in shaping the outcome in Iowa. — David Miller


McCain Making A Comeback? In July, John McCain’s campaign was upended after a second quarter of disappointing fundraising forced serious cutback at every level of the former front-runner’s organization. But it looks like the skeleton staff that’s been supporting McCain for weeks is now starting to put some meat on its bones.

The Associated Press reports that, in South Carolina, McCain is rebuilding his paid staff, from four workers to eight. That’s not far off from the 12 workers McCain had in the state when his campaign was still riding high. And spokesman B.J. Boling claims that other additions have been made in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The new staffers — who will be tasked with speaking directly to voters — may have a lot of work ahead of them, however. Weeks of bad headlines and pundits writing off the campaign have left McCain badly damaged, and it will take more than a few hires to reverse current perceptions. — David Miller


Editor's note: Pure Horserace is a daily update of political news as interpreted by the political observers at CBSNews.com. Click here to sign up for the e-mail version.

[drwhite48]

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.

-Groucho Marx

[jack3213]

Coming out of the gate way too earlly can tire anyone, and the energy needed to sustain such a enourmous task is beyond some capabilities, let alone time and money. The fact that Obama has to cut back is an indication he didn''t think this all the way through, and that is an example of "inexperiance" For those looking for a "third party" with the promise of Thompson, that might work in his favor, although the country likes famaliarity regardless of how much "change" they preach and desire to have. Change for change''s sake, can lead to misjudgement. Change can only come with somneone who has succeeded in the past.