TRAIL MIX: McCain the Big Spender, and Obama's New Paint Job

By: Kathryn Blaze Carlson Monday's highlights from the campaign trail.

For Obama's Trip, A New Paint Job
On Politics
USA Today
By Mark Memmott

Aside from the usual undertakings that go into preparing for a presidential candidate's trip abroad, Obama's camp added giving his chartered jet a fresh coat of paint to the list of to-dos, according to a post by Mark Memmott at the USA Today's On Politics. Obama left Chicago for the Middle East on Sunday, and with about 40 journalists aboard the jazzed-up jet, he hopes to portray to America and the world that he is indeed ready to be commander-in-chief.


McCain Outspent Obama in June
The Trail
The Washington Post
By Matthew Mosk

Just because someone has more money than the next guy doesn't mean they'll spend more money than the next guy. Take McCain and Obama, for example. McCain spent $27 million in June, while Obama doled out $25.6 in the same period, according to a post by Matthew Mosk at The Washington Post's The Trail. "The spending came as Obama widened his financial advantage over McCain, bringing in more than $54 million during his second best fundraising month of the campaign. McCain raised $22 million during the same period," says Mosk.


Ballad of Gordon and Barack
Political Intelligence
The Boston Globe
By Sasha Issenberg

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will become his country's first head of state to address the Knesset when he speaks there Monday ? but his visit is already being upstaged by an aspirant chief executive," according to a post by Sasha Issenberg at The Boston Globe's Political Intelligence. With Obama set to be in Israel during that same week, the Israeli media has proffered more interest in the presidential-hopeful's photo-op tours and meetings than in what the British PM has to say. "'Visiting Israel on the same week that Obama is expected to arrive is like being the opening act for the Beatles,'" columnist Anshel Pfeffer explained in Israel's Ha'aretz, according to Issenberg.


Sunday Conversation: McCain's New Ad
The Fix
The Washington Post
By Chris Cillizza

"Barack Obama may be stealing most of the media coverage with his trip abroad but John McCain isn't sitting back and ceding ground to the Illinois senator. McCain is up with a new ad that blasts Obama for his lack of foreign policy experience and his changeability when it comes to key issues including the war in Iraq," according to a post by Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post's The Fix. Check out Cillizza's post to watch the ad, which closes by noting that McCain has 'always supported our troops' and the surge in Iraq.