Today on the presidential campaign trail

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IN THE HEADLINES

Obama gets withdrawal support from Iraqis, military briefing, helicopter tour from Petraeus ... McCain releases energy attack ad, questions Obama's credentials as rival tours war zone ... GOP counting on convention planning, venue to lift McCain's prospects in November ... Obama cuts back on spending in June as he builds up cash reserves

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Obama in Iraq: Withdrawal support but no timetable

BAGHDAD (AP) — Face to face with Iraq's leaders, Democrat Barack Obama gained fresh support Monday for the idea of pulling all U.S. combat forces from the war zone by 2010. But the Iraqis stopped short of actual timetables or an endorsement of Obama's pledge to withdraw American troops within 16 months if he wins the presidency.

Obama also got a military briefing — and a helicopter tour — from the top U.S. commander in the region, Gen. David Petraeus. He also met with some of the nearly 150,000 U.S. troops now well into the war's sixth year.

Back in the U.S., Republican rival John McCain said he hoped Obama's visit would open his eyes to the danger of withdrawal timetables. Said the Arizona senator: "When you win wars, troops come home." He said of Obama: "He's been completely wrong on the issue."

As Obama visited Iraq for the first time in more than two years, comments Monday by the government's spokesman roughly mirrored the Illinois senator's withdrawal schedule and offered a glimpse of Iraq's growing confidence as violence drops and Iraqi security forces expand their roles.

"We are hoping that in 2010 that combat troops will withdraw from Iraq," spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said after Obama met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — who has struggled for days to clarify Iraq's position on a possible timetable for a U.S. troop pullout.

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McCain vies for spotlight as rival tours war zone

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) — Republican John McCain worked Monday to wrestle the spotlight from rival Barack Obama's tour of Iraq by insisting he was right and the Democrat was wrong about the war and releasing a new critical ad blaming higher gas prices on his opponent.

As Obama toured the war zones trailed by U.S. network TV anchors, McCain ridiculed him from afar during a visit with the first President George Bush at his summer home on the Atlantic.

The Republican and Democratic presidential contenders have differed sharply over Iraq. Obama has said he would withdraw U.S. troops from combat there over 16 months while reinforcing the U.S. effort against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. McCain has resisted any timetable for withdrawal, insisting that victory in Iraq is a necessary precursor to success in Afghanistan.

Any withdrawal of troops from Iraq "must be based on conditions on the ground," McCain told reporters as he stood beside the 84-year-old former president.

The Arizona senator disparaged Obama as "someone who has no military experience whatsoever."

At the same time, McCain released a new television ad that blames Obama for rising gasoline prices.

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Republicans hoping for a grand old party in Minn.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republicans are counting on a glitch-free convention to help lift the party's sagging morale and boost John McCain's presidential prospects when they assemble in this picturesque city on the Mississippi River in six weeks.

Organizers began construction Monday at the Xcel Energy Center, home to the Minnesota Wild NHL hockey franchise, to host 4,600 delegates and alternates and thousands more guests and media Sept. 1-4. Construction workers began unscrewing seats and unloading equipment from trucks, making room for the stage where McCain will deliver his acceptance speech. The Republican Party will have exclusive access to the arena through the convention.

The GOP sessions get under way just four days after Democrats conclude their own convention in Denver. Never before have the two parties' events been scheduled so late in the summer, and so close together.

McCain strategists believe the timing could work to their advantage, potentially blunting the post-Denver "bounce" Obama should receive as a newly minted nominee. And even though Obama leads McCain by double digits in most Minnesota polls, his strategists hope a successful convention could help the Arizona senator's chances of winning the state.

Crews will be laying down six miles of telephone and Internet cable and installing 4,500 data and analog lines. Close-to-the-action broadcast sets for television networks and tables for print journalists will replace 3,000 existing seats, and another 475,000 square feet of media workspace occupy an adjacent building. Several suites will be turned into hospitality rooms for donors, convention sponsors and prominent Republicans.

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Obama spends less in June, saves resources

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama reversed a two-month trend in June by raising more money and spending less, a tangible result of clinching the Democratic nomination.

Obama continued to raise money for the primary stage of the election, a noteworthy showing that means he has not even tried to tap most of his 1.7 million donors for general election cash.

The Illinois senator reported raising $52 million in June, more than twice the nearly $21.5 million Republican rival John McCain raised during the month. Obama had $72 million cash on hand to McCain's $27 million, according to their reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who suspended her White House bid on June 7, faced a starkly different financial picture. She lent herself an additional $1 million in June to pay off vendors, increasing her total loan to the campaign to $13.2 million. She reported owing vendors $12 million. She raised $2.7 million from donors in June.

Obama reported $25.6 million in spending in June, his lowest monthly operating costs of the year. McCain disbursed $27 million in the month, including $1.2 million to a special accounting fund for the fall campaign.

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DAILY TRACK

Democrat Barack Obama holds a 6-point lead nationally over Republican John McCain — 47 percent to 41 percent — among registered voters in the presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama visits Iraq.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain campaigned in Maine.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"My respect for him knows no bounds." — Former President George H.W. Bush, on Republican John McCain.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Democrat Barack Obama has raised $349.8 million during his presidential run to Republican John McCain's $144 million.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner.

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