KEY POINTS:
NEW YORK - The campaign team behind Barack Obama has been regrouping after 10 days of media fascination with Republican vice-presidential pick Sarah Palin, dispatching Hillary Clinton into Florida and advertising a lunch summit this week between their candidate and Bill Clinton.
Democrats sense trouble as John McCain,
the Republican nominee, rides a surge in his poll ratings which seems to reflect his bringing Palin, the Governor of Alaska, on to his ticket.
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey put McCain and Obama on 48 per cent each.
Speaking in Kissimmee, near Orlando, Clinton said voting for McCain-Palin would saddle America with "more of the same".
After putting off a return to Alaska over the weekend, Palin continued to campaign alongside McCain at a large rally in Kansas City, Missouri.
Democrats hope fielding Clinton will hold woman voters in November. Aides cautioned, however, that she was unlikely directly to attack the Alaska Governor from the stump.
There would be no Clinton-Palin "cat-fight", former Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said.
Obama will complete the healing of rifts between himself and the Clintons at a lunch with former President Bill in New York on Friday.
Many are anxious to see how Palin performs away from McCain, particularly when barriers are lifted to allow reporters to question her.
Under pressure to show she is up to scrutiny, the Governor has agreed to an interview with ABC news. In a Fox interview, President George W. Bush said: "I find her to be a very dynamic, capable, smart woman, who, you know, it really says that John McCain made an inspired pick."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declined to comment on Palin.
Fundraisers have made the most of Palin's popularity. She is headlining a Republican event on September 25 at the Silicon Valley home of California software billionaire Tom Siebel where the asking price for a snapshot with her and a seat at the top table is US$50,000 ($75,460).
Massie Ritsch, a spokesman for the Centre for Responsive Politics, which monitors presidential fundraising, said: "Both presidential tickets are talking a big game about reform, but it seems to get the opportunity to reform they play the same old game and raise money from deep-pocketed donors at exclusive events."
Because McCain is using public dollars to finance his election operation, he can spend none of the fundraiser money. Donations will be divided among the California Republican Party, the Republican National Committee and a fund McCain can use to pay lawyers and accountants.
Obama is raising private money for his general-election campaign, despite a promise last year to accept public financing and its accompanying spending limits if the Republican nominee did too.
Meanwhile, a problem arose for the Democrats when Obama was talking about religion on ABC TV. He inadvertently said "my Muslim faith". He immediately corrected himself - he is a Christian - but not fast enough to stop conservative bloggers rekindling rumours that he is Muslim.
- INDEPENDENT, AP
