Update

Sorry for not having posted in a bit but, hey, it's summer...the pace slows down a bit. Not for the candidates, mind you, but for those who follow them. But all good things come to an end (at least for me), so now back to the campaign trail. Here's a roundup of recent events. And thanks for the kind compliments that have come in; they are much appreciated.

Whiners:

When we last left you, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said he wanted to cut off part of Democratic Party presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama's anatomy. The senator, in the Rev. Jackson's view, was "talking down to black people" with remarks on responsible fatherhood. It caused a flap and the Rev. Jackson had to apologize, which he did, early and often.

But soon after, former Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, an adviser to the Republican Party's nominee, Sen. John McCain, said, in essence, that Americans who complained about the economy were "whiners." This has been the Republican tack for some time on the economy--things are not that bad and you don't know how good you have it.

Once again, the hammer came down, and Senator McCain had to apologize for former Sen. Gramm's remarks. Politically, the remarks were seen as close to an insult to voters who have been wracked by high gas prices, the threat of home foreclosures, increased overall costs, etc. It seemed out of touch and insensitive. Whatever advantage Senator McCain may have gained in the Jackson-Obama flap (and it probably wasn't much) was lost immediately in the flap over the "whiner" comment.

Curiously, some on the conservative side defended Sen. Gramm's remarks saying Americans were whiners. While you can point to lots of statements and polls that show Americans do tend to whine on certain topics, politically it was not a great thing to say. Advantage: Obama.

But speaking of Obama, it has not been a great couple of weeks for the senator. His lead in the polls over Sen. McCain remains small (in fact, in a Newsweek poll, it dropped from 15 to 3; others show it essentially tied) and his movement to the political center has caused angst among his most fervent anti-war supporters.

Senator Obama based his entire campaign on his early opposition to the Iraq war. He has said consistently he would withdraw troops the first day he took office and have them out within two years. He also opposed the "surge" in Iraq which, by most accounts, has worked to lessen violence and bring some stability to the country. Now, any criticism of the surge is no longer on his website.

So, Senator Obama has been "clarifying" and "moderating" his position on Iraq in advance of a trip to the region. He says he tie any decision on American forces in Iraq to events in the ground after talking to commanders there. Although he still says he will withdraw forces, it's a lot fuzzier now than it was before.

In a speech today, and in previous opinion pieces, he said that if elected, he would be sending "additional Afghanistan brigades," and argued "the U.S. faces a growing threat from a resurgent al-Qaida in Afghanistan." Polls show Americans are more optimistic about the war in Afghanistan than in Iraq (but not by much), so perhaps, Sen. Obama is trying to show he is committed to the war on terror (to please voters who are not anti-war types but have concerns about Iraq) by fighting it in Afghanistan.

This is costing him some support among his passionate anti-war activists, but so far, his personality and the change he represents still attracts a strong base of support.

However, among independents and non-partisan voters on both sides, the Obama of 2007 and the winter of this year is not the same Obama as now. His focus seems to be much less clear and it's hard to pin down exactly where he is standing (although today's speech should give pundits lots of food for thought).

Voters who are considering casting a ballot for Obama haven't made up their minds yet, and they still have doubts based on his age, and shall we say, modest, experience on the national scene. Of course, nobody has to make up his or her mind yet, as there are 112 days to go before Election Day on Nov. 4.

Obama staffers believe over time, voters will grow comfortable with the idea of Sen. Obama as commander in chief. But as the underdog, every day that decision is put off, is a good day for the campaign of Senator McCain.