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The disclosure came as Republican John McCain, in need of a
comeback, focused on pocketbook issues amid fresh signs of a
recession. "Ohio is hurting now, people in Ohio are having trouble
staying in their homes, keeping their jobs," he said as he set out
on a two-day bus tour of the state.


      "We have got to get this economy out of the ditch."


      Obama, bidding to become the first black president, also pointed
to the government's report that the economy had declined in the
third quarter. He told a large crowd in Florida that McCain has
been perched "right next to George Bush" for eight years, and
consumers are paying a steep price for their partnership.


      The Democrats who described the Obama campaign's approach to
Emanuel spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not
authorized to be quoted by name. An aide to the congressman, Sarah
Feinberg, said in an e-mail that he "has not been contacted to
take a job in an administration that does not yet exist. Everyone
is focused on Election Day, as they should be."


      Emanuel is a veteran of President Clinton's White House, and has
made a rapid ascent of the House leadership ladder since his
election to Congress. He was chairman of the Democratic campaign
committee two years ago when the party won a majority for the first
time in more than a decade, and he cemented his reputation as a
prodigious fundraiser and strong-willed political strategist.


      Both Obama and McCain have authorized their staffs to begin
transition operations in recent weeks - although only one of them
will be in a position to make use of the results. As far as is
known, no job offers have been made by either man.


      Opinion polls, early voting statistics and even the candidates'
campaign schedules all make it look like the race is Obama's to
lose.


      The Democrat campaigned exclusively in traditionally Republican
states during the day, flying from Florida to Virginia to Missouri,
in hopes of winning a sizable victory on Tuesday. Polls
consistently show him ahead nationally as well as in a half-dozen
states that sided with Bush in 2004, and tied in three more.


      McCain's bus tour of Ohio underscored his political predicament.
Bush won the state twice, it has voted for the winner in every
presidential election for 20 years, and public and private surveys
all give Obama the advantage.


      Both campaigns invested heavily in turning out early voters.


      Officials in North Carolina said roughly 30 percent of all
registered voters had already cast ballots - about 1.7 million in
all - and the Board of Elections ordered the state's 100 counties
to keep longer voting hours.


      Like the opinion polls, the early ballot count favored Obama.
Officials in Iowa, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada as well
as North Carolina said more Democrats that Republicans had cast
ballots, in some cases by lopsided margins.


      Democrats, increasingly optimistic about regaining the White
House, looked forward to padding their majorities in Congress, too,
and then tackling the economy and bringing the war in Iraq to an
end.


      But McCain and his aides sought to stoke doubts about one-party
government. The campaign challenged Obama to say whether he
supports a 25 percent cut in defense spending that is advocated by
some in his party.


      In Sarasota, his first stop of the day, Obama tried to take
advantage of the day's dreary business news, a government report
that consumers had cut back spending so sharply that the economy
had shrunk at an annual rate of 0.3 percent in the third quarter.


      It was the economy's worst showing since the fall of 2001, when
a recession in progress was compounded by the impacts of the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.


      "Folks have to watch every penny, tighten their belts," said
Obama, contending that the downturn was the result of eight years
of Republican economic policies.


      "If you want to know where John McCain will drive this economy,
just look in the rearview mirror. Because when it comes to our
economic policies, John McCain has been right next to George Bush.
He's been sitting there in the passenger seat, ready to take over,
every step of the way," he added.


      Obama's campaign reinforced the rhetoric with a new television
commercial. It showed the faces of Bush and McCain together in a
car's rearview mirror as the announcer said, "Look behind you. We
can't afford more of the same."


      In a second ad, Obama touted endorsements from Colin Powell, the
former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, and Warren Buffett, arguably the nation's best known
investor.


      McCain countered with a new ad in Florida in which Gov. Charlie
Crist heaped praise on the Republican candidate. "A reformer, a
maverick, he'll fight out-of-control spending and keep our taxes
down," Crist says. "John McCain never quits and he'll always
fight for you."


      McCain's first stop of the day was in chilly Defiance, Ohio,
where he did not dwell on the economic report. Instead, he pointed
to Exxon Mobil's announcement of a $14.83 billion profit in the
third quarter, a record, and said Obama had voted for legislation
that included millions in tax breaks for oil companies.


      "Senator Obama voted for billions in corporate giveaways to the
oil companies," said McCain in an apparent reference to a 2005
energy bill that Bush pushed through Congress.


      "I voted against it," the Arizona Republican said.

Gallery

MPR Poll: Obama widens lead in the state

Obama goes prime-time; McCain goes after Obama

McCain struggles for Pa. upset; GOP doubts grow

Slideshow: On the campaign trail

Politics and Government News

Barack Obama's campaign has approached
Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel about possibly serving as White House
chief of staff, officials said Thursday. Meanwhile, Republican candidate John McCain spent the day on a whirlwind tour of the battleground state of Ohio.

Obama courts possible cabinet member; McCain fights for Ohio

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