Morning Road Map

By Michelle Levi and Steve Chaggaris

As OBAMA readies for a foreign trip to the Middle East and Europe, he will argue - at 10:45am in Washington, D.C. - that the war in Iraq "distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize. This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st century." According to excerpts provided by his campaign, he'll say, "By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe... In fact – as should have been apparent to President Bush and Senator McCain – the central front in the war on terror is not Iraq, and it never was." In addition, he will advocate for an increased international awareness and push for additional aid and focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama will also be interviewed on PBS' The Newshour and CNN's Larry King Live.

McCAIN will slam Obama for espousing his strategy before assessing the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan at a 12pm ET town hall meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. today. According to excerpts released by his campaign, McCain will say Obama "is speaking today about his plans for Iraq and Afghanistan before he has even left, before he has talked to General Petraeus, before he has seen the progress in Iraq, and before he has set foot in Afghanistan for the first time. In my experience, fact-finding missions usually work best the other way around: first you assess the facts on the ground, then you present a new strategy." McCain will hold a closed fund-raiser in Missouri later today.

OBAMA'S NAACP SPEECH
"I know there's some who've been saying I've been too tough talking about responsibility. NAACP, I'm here to report, I'm not gonna stop talking about it", Obama said at the NAACP convention in Cincinnati last night in response to Jesse Jackson's caught-on-tape criticism of him. He called on the African American community to set an example and take care of "our own stuff our own stuff then a lot of other folks are gonna be interested in joining up and working with us to take care of America's stuff, we can lead by example, as we did during the civil rights movement. Because the problems that plague our communities, they're not unique to us." McCain is scheduled to address the NAACP on Wednesday.

CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic, "Obama: 'I'm Not Going To Stop Talking About' Personal Responsibility"

LA Times, "Obama re-admonishes African Americans"

USA Today, "Obama to NAACP: Blacks must seize responsibility"

NEW YORKER MAGAZINE COVER
LA Times, "Barack Obama magazine flap shows an irony deficiency -- The New Yorker's cover illustration has sparked a flurry of outrage among the Democrat's supporters. Hey, people, it's a joke!"

NY Times, "Want Obama in a Punch Line? First, Find a Joke"

Newsweek's Alter, "The Power of Images -- The New Yorker cover only reinforces the silly Obama rumors"

Washington Post, "Wag the Blog: The New Yorker and the Outrage Factor"

Politico, "Cartoonists mixed on New Yorker cover"

VEEPSTAKES
Mitt Romney criticized Obama's experience at the opening of a Michigan McCain headquarters Monday telling CBSNews.com's Scott Conroy: "this is not the time for an amateur." Though proving his ease in a the attack dog role, the former GOP presidential candidates said he will not speculate on the VP slot but noted that he had not been asked for vetting information from the McCain campaign. At an Albuquerque, N.M. fund-raiser last night, McCain praised Romney saying, "I'm appreciative every time I see Mitt on television on my behalf. He does a better job for me than he did for himself as a matter of fact."

CBSNews.com's Scott Conroy, "Mitt's Brother To Co-Chair McCain Campaign in Michigan"

Detroit Free Press, "Romney returns to Michigan to help drum up McCain support"

NY Sun, "Romney's Rationale": "The answer to many of Mr. McCain's problems is looming in plain, uncomfortable sight: He needs a running mate who can immediately infuse the campaign with energy, a fluid surrogate who can hammer away at Mr. Obama, stay focused, not lose his cool, and, most of all, an economic expert, who can negate, if not reverse, the Democrat's perceived advantage in the areas of jobs and growth. The man who possesses those qualities is the same person who got under Mr. McCain's skin during the primary fight — Mitt Romney."

Indianapolis Star reports that Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., will join Obama at a campaign event at Purdue University on Wednesday.

LATINO VOTERS
San Jose Mercury News, "McCain asks for Latinos' trust"

LA Times, "McCain's turn before La Raza in San Diego"

Reuters, "Hispanics mixed on McCain's compassion for migrants"

DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
Boston Globe, "For Obama, a questionable finale planned in Denver"

OBAMA & CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS
Politico, "Hill Democrats miffed at Obama"

The Hill, "Several CBC members anxiously wait on Obama"

Washington Post, "A Challenge From the Obama Generation"

ALSO:
Washington Times, "Shift on war hits Obama's liberal base"

NY Times, "Obama Will Meet Palestinian Leaders in the West Bank"

Associated Press, "Dem Party chief to head South this week for votes"

Washington Times, "Democrats' focus shifts to South -- Obama aims for upsets in four states"

Bloomberg News, "Obama, McCain Would Look to Women, Hispanics For Supreme Court"

USA Today, "Experts: Candidate's age shouldn't influence voters"

Christian Science Monitor, "David Axelrod: Architect of Obama's Unlikely Campaign"

WCCO-TV, "No More Guessing: Ventura Not Running For Senate"