AP-Sen.Obama and Mrs. Obama vote in Chicago

CHICAGO - As Obama boarded his campaign plane he was asked if he was feeling sentimental in the final hours of his 21-month bid for the presidency.

“You know, I’m sure I will tonight,” he responded. “When polls close, the journey ends.”

The candidate just returned from voting with his family and added, “But voting with my daughters, that was a big deal. I noitced that Michelle took a long time though. I had to check to see who she was voting for.”

With a laugh, he bounded up the stairs to fly to Indianapolis to greet voters one last time.

AP Photo- Reno, NV

Reno, NV–Palin held her second to last rally of the campaign and she was joined on stage by her husband, Todd; parents, Chuck and Sally Heath; her brother Chuck Heath Jr. and her in-laws Jim and Faye Palin.

Palin’s father spoke very briefly before Palin and expressed his pride and projected confidence as it turns Election Day on the East Coast.

“I’m just so proud to be Sarah’s father.” Heath said smiling, “Years ago I taught Sarah how to field dress a moose. But tomorrow I want you to see her field dress a donkey.”

As she introduced her family to the crowd in a livestock events center here she praised them as she was advocating support for families with special needs. She said they taught her that family is of the utmost importance and she will bring that “spirit” to Washington.

“John and I have the vision of an America where every innocent life counts and every child is cherished and I say this standing in front of some of the greatest family lovin’ people whom you will ever meet Nevada: my parents, my in laws, my brother.” Palin said, “Up here in this line up we have school teachers, we have the greatest grandparents in the world. They have taught me what this is all about–about family. Now see this is the spirit we want to bring to Washington. As Vice-President I’m gonna make sure that these children and our families-all of our families in America will understand yep family comes first. You will have a friend and an advocate in the White House.”

Her next and last event is a rally in Elko, Nevada before she heads North to Alaska to vote in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska.

AP Photo

Colorado Springs, CO–Country singer, Hank Williams Jr. is often by Sarah Palin’s side throughout her two months on the campaign trail. He opens up with the National Anthem, but at a rally in an airport hangar here, Williams Jr. veered off script and directly questioned Barack Obama’s patriotism before he sang the National Anthem.

“You know, I’m usually at Monday Night Football tonight, but Colorado, this is a lot more important tonight. Join me now in our National—you know, that song that, uh, Mr. Obama’s not real crazy about, we’re singing it right now.”

Williams then sang, “McCain-Palin Tradition” which blasts the “liberal media” and calls the GOP Vice-Presidential candidate a “good lookin’ dish”—it is his standard song after the National Anthem.

Palin took the stage after his performance and thanked Williams Jr. calling him “a great inspiration” because he uses “the first amendment” which seems to defend Williams comment.

“We want to take a minute here to thank Hank Williams Jr. Over the past couple of months he has traveled with us. He and his most beautiful family stops all along the way this campaign trail. Now this is the last rally that we get to do together and he’s been just a great inspiration. Never one to hide his opinion or be afraid to share it.” Palin said, “Hey he exercises those First Amendment rights. We love him! Yes. So we want to thank Hank and we are going to see him tomorrow night on the other side of victory, my friend.”

When asked if Palin agreed with Williams Jr.’s comment and that is why she praised him Palin spokesperson Tracey Schmitt said, “She has said before that she knows Barack Obama loves his country.”

On October 17th, Palin was asked if she believes that Obama loves America as much as she does and she responded affirmatively.

“I know Obama loves America. I’m sure that is why he’s running for president. It’s because he wants to do what he believes is in the best interest of this great nation. I believe that our ticket can do a better job for America as we reduce taxes and rein in government and allow our private sector and our families to prosper, to grow, and to keep more of what they earn and produce so that they can reinvest according to our own priorities. Palin said, “But I don’t question at all Barack Obama’s love for this great country.”

Schmitt attempted to clarify Palin’s comments further,” She was making clear that he was expressing his opinion–just as she has explicitly expressed hers when saying frequently that Barack Obama loves his country.”

Some photos below from John McCain’s full-throttle, 18-hour, 7-state, 3,400 mile final appeal for votes Monday. The tour will take him through Tampa, FL,  Blountville, TN (meant for Western VA media market), Moon Township, PA, Indianapolis, IN, Roswell, NM, Henderson, NV and will end up  with a 2 am ET rally in Prescott, AZ. (I will update throughout the day)

9am-Tampa, FL

11:45am-Blountville, TN

2pm-Moon Township, PA

JACKSONVILLE, FL - Just one day before America votes for the next president, Sarah Palin and John McCain have launched an eleventh hour attack, accusing Barack Obama of wanting to “bankrupt” the coal industry based on comments he made to a San Francisco newspaper.

The Obama campaign quickly released a response from Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, who governs one of the top coal producing states in the country.

“After John McCain said he’d like to ‘transition away from coal entirely,’ his campaign is hardly in a position to criticize a coal state Senator like Barack Obama who has outlined a $150 billion investment in clean coal and other technologies to create jobs and build a new energy economy,” Strickland said in a statement.

The Obama campaign insists the clip being circulated on “right wing blogs” is “wildly edited to take it out of context.”

“In the full interview Obama actually praises coal and says that the idea of eliminating coal is ‘an illusion,’” the campaign explained.

“The line they pulled out is in the context of cap and trade program. The point Obama is making is that we need to transition from coal burning power plants built with old technology to plants built with advanced technologies - - and that is exactly the action that will be incentivized under a cap and trade program.  We know that additional work is necessary to develop and deploy these technologies. That is why Obama has argued for a robust funding program for carbon capture and sequestration.”

Moreover, the Obama campaign says his comments are “strikingly similar” to what John McCain himself has said. In fact they argue McCain went even further. At a Senate hearing on reducing greenhouse gases,” the Arizona senator said, “In a perfect world, we would like to transition away from coal entirely.”

Read the full transcript of Obama’s comments to the San Francisco Chronicle below the jump.

(more…)

JACKSONVILLE, FL - “I have just one word for you Florida: tomorrow,” Barack Obama began his rally in Florida today, in what will be the final day of events before Election Day.

Nearly two years ago when the junior senator from Illinois entered the race, few thought he would win his party’s nomination much less be on the threshold of history. “Back then, we didn’t have much money, we didn’t have many endorsements. We weren’t given much of a chance by the polls or the pundits,” he recalled. “We knew how steep the climb would be.”

While much of his long-shot campaign was against Senator Hillary Clinton, he’s taken on Senator John McCain for the last five months in a race that’s been contentious and oftentimes negative.

Today the Democratic nominee today noted the end of the road and offered an olive branch of sorts - but one with the knowledge that there are still 24 hours left in this fight. “At the end of this long race I want to congratulate him on the tough race that he has fought,” Obama said, before reminding America that his rival “has stood with George Bush every step of the way.”

Obama will push through the finish line and hit two more “red states” today, with events in North Carolina and Virginia. But, with just hours to go, the candidate is working on getting out the vote and rallying the base, acknowledging that his future - and that of the country - now rests with the American people.

“At this point, I’ve made the arguments. Now it’s all about who wants it more. Who believes in it more. Florida, the time for change has come. It’s all up to you.” he said.

Obama will return home to Chicago tonight so that he can cast his ballot tomorrow. He’ll make one last stop in Indiana tomorrow morning before he’ll deliver his victory - or concession speech tomorrow night in Chicago.

Either way, he said yesterday in Ohio, “My faith in the American people has been vindicated, regardless of what happens on Tuesday. That’s how we’ve come so close, how we’ve come so far – because of you.”

AP Photo-Lakewood, OH

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI–-At a park in a Cleveland suburb, Sarah Palin kicked off her marathon two day sprint to the finish with a fiery speech. She expressed confidence at a come from behind win to this crowd of less than 1,000 people.

“I’ll tell ya, this is the right place to be for us to kick off this final day of campaigning. This is the right place to be. You can just feel it here, you can just feel it here in Ohio, victory’s coming, we can do this, we can win, we can win Ohio.” Palin said, “And we must win for you.”

The crowd chanted, “We will win!” and she added, “We must win!”

Although she repeated most her standard stump speech as she has over the last few days, she added her own Palin flourishes throughout her remarks in Lakewood, Ohio.

She said she was grateful that in the “eleventh hour” of the campaign that revelations were coming out about Barack Obama even enthusiastically thanking a higher power for the news.

“You would be so surprised to find out what we found out even in the last couple of days. The eleventh hour of this campaign after two years. Eleventh hour here and more and more light though–thank the Lord–more and more light is being shown on his plans and his record!”

She went on to attack Obama on his tax plan as she has throughout her candidacy.

The Alaska governor again went after the Democrats and said they want to cut the defense budget. She stuck to the usual attack until she went one step further and accused Congressional Democrats of thinking that terrorists no longer want to strike America.

“This in a time of multiple conflicts and obvious danger still to the homeland. What do they think?” Palin asked, “That the terrorists have suddenly changed their minds and no longer do they seek to destroy America and her allies and all that it is that we stand for – freedom, democracy, equal rights, tolerance all those things that we stand for? Do they think the terrorists have changed their minds?”

Palin’s next stop of her marathon two day sprint is Jefferson City, Missouri. She holds six rallies today in five states–after Missouri she will campaign in Dubuque, Iowa; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Reno, Nevada, and Elko, Nevada. In 2004, President Bush won all five states that Palin is campaigning in today.

She will then fly overnight to Alaska so she can vote in her hometown of Wasilla as soon as the polls open at 7AM. She gets right back on the plane to be able to appear next to her running mate in Phoenix as the final results are tallied.

Click below to listen to me previewing Palin’s next two days on “America’s Newsroom” this morning:

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AP Photo-Marietta, OH

Marietta, OH–After her rally at Marietta College, Sarah Palin went to their football field to watch a pee wee football game. The Palins stopped by the game, which was played by boys in 4th through 6th grade.

Families in the bleachers cheered for Palin as she walked on the field and the football players were so excited to meet the GOP Vice-Presidential candidate they were jumping and shouting over each other to get to talk to Palin. The Bobcats vs. the Hawks took a break from their game to greet the Alaska governor.

The Bobcats ran over first and Palin affectionately tapped their helmets and said, “Do well!”

The Hawks in bright kelly green jerseys jumped up and down shouting, “I’m safety!” “I’m the quarterback!” “I’m the fastest!”

Palin tapped their helmets as well and said, “Stay in sports that’s the truth!”

The highlight of the brief visit were the Hawks cheerleaders–one adventurous cheerleader asked Palin, “Do you do jokes?”

Palin responded smiling, “Do I do jokes? Only on Saturday Night Live. You will have to tell me a joke.”

The same girl wasn’t done with her questions for John McCain’s number two, “Wait can we ask you a question? Who do you want to win this?

Palin was put on the spot by the pintsized inquisitor, but attempted to remain bi-partisan.

“Don’t ask me that! I want it to be a close game. I want it to be a tie,” Palin said.

She patted the girls on the back and said, “Go Hawks and the other team too! Play fair!”

Palin trotted off the field to families in the bleachers shouting, “Bye Sarah!”

According to Palin Spokesperson Tracey Schmitt, Palin wanted to stop at the game because her daughters, Bristol and Willow played pee wee football and son, Track played football throughout school and they love to support youth sports.

CLEVELAND, OH - Barack Obama invited Bruce Sprinsteen, who endorsed the senator from Illinois early on during the primary race, to play at his 80,000 person rally in downtown Cleveland just two days before Election Day.

Springsteen was in mid-set when Obama arrived, and finished up “This Land is Your Land,” inviting the hometown crowd of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to sing along. Then, strumming his guitar, the singer explained why Obama is the right one to fix the mess left behind by George Bush and Dick Cheney.

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The Obama family joined Springsteen on stage after his live rendition of “The Rising,” a song the campaign often plays as the Democrat takes the stage at events.

“There are just a handful of people who enter into your lives though their music and tell the American people’s story. Bruce Springsteen is one of those people, and the fact that he ends up being such a great guy, that his family is so wonderful, that he’s willing to take time out on a night like tonight to come out here is just a testimony to him and it’s why we all love Bruce Springsteen so much,” Obama said.

At the end of Obama’s speech - dampened only by rain, he declared, “If you will stand with me and fight by my side then I promise you this, we will not just win OH, we will win this general election and together you and I we’re gonna change this country and we will change the world. A rising is coming.”

The politically active singer endorsed John Kerry in 2004, which the RNC reminded reporters covering the campaign. “Springsteen also performed in Cleveland for John Kerry back in 2004. But we all know what happened back then with his Presidential bid,” a spokesman said.

COLUMBUS, OH - Barack Obama gave his GOP rival a rare compliment today at his 60,000 person rally in central Ohio.

“John McCain was funny yesterday on Saturday Night Live,” he said.

Obama missed McCain’s performance because he was on his way back to his hotel from a Missouri rally last night, but admitted he watched the skit on Youtube.

In what’s been a contentious campaign, Obama said, “That’s part of what our politics should be about, being able to laugh at each other, but also laugh at ourselves.”

Obama himself made a cameo on SNL last Halloween, and cancelled another scheduled appearance when Hurricane Ike threatened the Gulf Coast.

“We can argue and debate our positions passionately, but all of us have to summon the strength and the grace and the humor to bridge our differences and unite in common effort,” he said.