Morning Road Map

Obama is in Washington, DC today for an economic roundtable that will be closed to cameras. Participants include Warren Buffett, former Fed chairman Paul Volcker, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt as well as union leaders. Later he'll attend a closed fundraiser in Arlington, Va. Michelle Obama holds reception for women voters in Chicago at noon.

McCain holds closed fundraisers in Bakersfield, Calif., and Reno, Nev. today. He has various media interviews during the day.

McCAIN vs. OBAMA
NY Times, "Obama Returns to Economy as McCain Assails Foreign Tour"

Washington Post, "McCain Says Obama Plays Politics on Iraq"

Politico, "McCain takes aim at Obama's character"

Chicago Tribune, "Obama, McCain spar over Iraq timetable and affirmative action"

Chicago Sun-Times, "Obama rips foe on affirmative action, Iraq"

McCAIN
Newsweek interviews John McCain, "'The American People Know Me'": "McCain talks about offshore drilling, how he plans to win women's votes and his recent foreign-policy gaffes."

San Francisco Chronicle, "McCain has reason to smile as he visits state": "He's been portrayed by Democrats as the grumpy old man of foreign policy and the "McSame" candidate. But even after a brutal week that put his competitor, Barack Obama, in a glowing international spotlight, Republican Sen. John McCain is coming to California today with some things to smile about."

USA Today, "McCain sides with ban on affirmative action"

Newsweek, "Say Cheese! But Watch for the Applesauce.": "McCain is losing the war of the photo ops. Even his aides say the campaign has to improve."

Chicago Sun-Times' Novak, "Is McCain poised to back into presidency?": "In the contest for president, Barack Obama is a magnetic candidate supported by a disciplined, well-organized campaign. John McCain seems wooden, with a campaign that appears to be in shambles. Yet Obama's lead in the polls over McCain is fragile because he so far has not won the support of a majority of American voters."

Politico, "The McCain-Latino disconnect"

Associated Press, "China criticizes McCain-Dalai Lama meeting"

OBAMA
Washington Post, "Obama Links Economy to Foreign Policy"

Agence France Presse, "Obama to shift focus on economy after overseas trip"

Associated Press, "Details missing from Obama's Social Security Plan"

LA Times, "Obama admits drop in Iraqi violence was more than he had anticipated"

Wall Street Journal, "Obama Wins Praise Abroad, But Also Disappoints"

Christian Science Monitor, "How Obama's foreign tour plays at home"

Associated Press, "Obama says he's becoming competitive in red states"

Washington Post, "For Obama, Hurdles in Expanding Black Vote"

Washington Times, "Obama ad surge yields no measurable impact"

VEEPSTAKES
NY Sun, "Chances Dim For Clinton As Obama V.P."

Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette, "Observers see Bayh high on Obama's list"

Arizona Republic, "Huckabee, Clinton lead way in VP survey"

Wall Street Journal, "A Kennedy Goes Public": "When the daughter of John F. Kennedy was named to Sen. Barack Obama's vice-presidential search committee, many political observers saw the move as mere political window dressing. But Ms. Kennedy has emerged as a crucial member of the vetting team, and is proving a major draw on the campaign trail as well."

CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING
NY Times, "Democracy Institute Gives Donors Access to McCain"

McClatchy Newspapers, "Texas gave most money to McCain in June"

ALSO:
NY Times, "Mr. President? Not Quite, but Quite Presidential": "[N]either of these guys has been elected yet. It can be easy to overlook this detail given that Mr. McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, and Mr. Obama, of Illinois, his Democratic counterpart, have been assuming the trappings and behaviors of already-elected presidents. Candidates always strive to project an image consistent with the office they are seeking. But in McCain vs. Obama — the first general election matchup in 56 years that will not include a sitting president or vice president — two senators with minimal executive experience seem to be falling all over themselves to playact the role of president."

USA Today, "100 days to go: The presidential race's red-letter days"

Cindy McCain writes about her recent trip to Rwanda in the Wall Street Journal, "Rwanda's Women Are Leading the Way": "I wasn't sure what to expect all these years later, but I found a country that has found in its deep scars the will to move on and rebuild a civil society. And the renaissance is being led by women."

CBS News' Allison O'Keefe, "'Everything's OK' After Obama Visits Hospital"

Wall Street Journal, "Republicans Seek to Capitalize on Drilling Support"

LA Times, "Democratic convention brings challenges to Denver"

Macon Telegraph, "In Macon, Dean urges Democrats to re-establish power of party"

Stateline.org, "Voter surge will challenge states"

Associated Press, "Oops! Wrong Larry shown on Idaho campaign buttons": "Some Democratic campaign buttons made for distribution in Idaho show an unlikely pair: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and Republican Sen. Larry Craig."