Today’s Election News Roundup

Both Ill. Sen. Barack Obama and Ariz. Sen. John McCain have used President Bush as a scapegoat on the campaign trail. In an interview with the Washington Times, McCain criticized Bush “for building a mountain of debt, failing to pay for Medicare's expansion and abusing executive power.” At a rally in Indiana, Sen. Obama said, "We've tried it John McCain's way. We've tried it George Bush's way. And we're here to say, 'Enough is enough.' We can't afford four more years of their 'fundamental economics.' "

The latest polls show a variety of numbers: some indicate that Sen. McCain has closed the gap, while others show Sen. Obama maintaining or expanding his lead. Surveys by Associated Press-GfK, George Washington University, and an Investors Business Daily/TIPP poll show McCain losing by just a point or two. But polls by the New York Times-CBS News, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal/NBC, and Gallup show Obama holding or increasing his lead.

ACORN’s announcement that it had registered 1.3 million new voters was a gross exaggeration, The New York Times reports. In reality, about 400,000 new voters have registered.

Sen. Obama conducted an interview with ABC news before leaving the campaign trail to visit his grandmother Madelyn Dunham. Obama said that she is still “alert” but that she may not make it to Election Day.

While Sen. Obama visits Hawaii to spend time with his ailing grandmother, Sen. McCain hopes to gather much needed momentum, though his campaign faces serious hurdles. Gov. Palin will give a second deposition to the Alaska Personnel Board investigation to defend some of her hiring practices as governor. Meanwhile, former Bush White House press secretary Scott McClellan and Republican Minn. Gov. Arne Carlson have endorsed Sen. Barack Obama.

Some members of the GOP are concerned that Sen. McCain is faring badly in the polls because of his erratic temper and sometimes “emotional” way of relating to people and politics. Christopher Buckley, the novelist and son of William Buckley, said, “I have known McCain since 1982 and what has always stood out is his temperament. Having observed him during the campaign and in the debates with Barack Obama I think he needs to be doused in [a] bath of cold water.”

The findingDulcinea 2008 Election Web Guide highlights the best online resources relating to the candidates and the election.

Project Vote Smart describes the process of nominating a presidential candidate, with concise descriptions of the convention, caucuses, primaries and the process of awarding delegates.

An overview of the role of delegates and superdelegates is presented by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Daily coverage of the 2008 Election is gathered from media sources across the political spectrum and presented by Real Clear Politics to provide up-to-the-minute coverage. The site publishes daily political transcripts, including addresses on the campaign trail and withdrawal speeches. It also constantly updates and compares polling reports from Rasmussen, Gallup, CNN, Pew Research, and other major media sources. Additionally, the site provides a 2008 Primary Delegate Count, which presents the delegate counts of each candidate.

NPR provides an interactive calendar of past primaries. Headline stories that detail the events of the primaries and campaigns accompany the primary map. In addition, NPR hosts a “National Delegates Total,” with an ongoing count of delegates won by each candidate.

Minnesota Public Radio’s online “President Survey” matches the political convictions of respondents with the candidates’ policies in order to help voters make an informed choice come election day.

The New York Times publishes a constant stream of articles from the Associated Press. These concise AP stories cover new developments on the campaign trail.

As election momentum picks up, the Times of London offers British readers a glossary of campaign jargon that will be of use to many Americans as well.

OpenSecrets.org compares the total campaign donations for each candidate and looks into the war chests to see where the money comes from.