Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:<\/p>\n
* On the last full day of a very successful Netroots Nation conference in Austin, Barack Obama<\/a> sent along a video address, and Al Gore<\/a> made a surprise appearance.<\/p>\n * Last week, Republicans tried to push a new line, insisting that the Obama campaign was spending at a reckless pace. Apparently, this was not only false, it was directed at the wrong candidate<\/a>: “Republican Sen. John McCain spent more money in June than he took in…. McCain raised $22.2 million in June, his best fundraising month of the campaign. He also spent more than he had in a single month, doling out $27 million for such expenses as television ads, campaign consultants, direct-mail fundraising and the travel costs associated with the construction of a national field operation, the [FEC] report shows.”<\/p>\n * Hillary Clinton’s campaign debts continue to be an enormous burden<\/a>, prompting the senator to lend her campaign an additional $1 million at the end of June, to help stay ahead of creditors. Clinton’s debts to vendors increased to $12 million at the end of June.<\/p>\n * Activists in the Iowa Republican Party have become so right-wing, they have successfully denied Sen. Chuck Grassley’s request for a place on the state’s delegation<\/a> to the Republican National Convention. Far-right party members are angry at Grassley for investigating alleged fraud among several wealthy TV faith-healers.<\/p>\n * Speaking of state Republican parties, the Nevada Republican Party<\/a> has “called off its state convention and will instead pick its delegates to the national convention by private conference call.” The move appears to be in response to an attempted takeover by Ron Paul fans. * Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr<\/a> showed up unexpectedly at the Netroots Nation conference on Saturday.<\/p>\n * It looks like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is at least a little worried<\/a> about his re-election chances — more than three months before Election Day, McConnell is already running negative ads against his far-less–known Democratic opponent.<\/p>\n * Colin Powell has been contributing “outside advice<\/a>” to Obama on foreign policy.<\/p>\n
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\n* In case there were any lingering doubts, Gore would prefer to work with, but not for<\/a>, the next president.<\/p>\n