Copyright © 2008 Associated Press

  -- The Associated Press

IN THE HEADLINES

McCain tells NAACP he backs vouchers for private schools ... Obama warns against 'fighting the last war' instead of adapting ... Obama predicts huge increase in black voters, opening up usually Republican states ... AP Interview: Ex-Clinton aide has 'complicated emotions' over move to Obama campaign ... Federal judge declines Republican National Convention protesters bid for looser restrictions

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McCain at NAACP pledges more education options

CINCINNATI (July 31, 2008 04:14 AM EDT) - John McCain told the NAACP and some skeptical black voters Wednesday that he will expand education opportunities, partly through vouchers for low-income children to attend private school.

The likely Republican presidential nominee addressed the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest civil rights organization.

In greeting the group, McCain praised Democrat Barack Obama's historic campaign, but said the Illinois senator is wrong to oppose school vouchers for students in failing public schools. It is time, McCain said, to use vouchers and other tools like merit pay for teachers to break from conventional thinking on educational policy.

Obama, he said, has dismissed support for private school vouchers for low-income Americans.

"All of that went over well with the teachers union, but where does it leave families and their children who are stuck in failing schools?" the Arizona senator asked. "No entrenched bureaucracy or union should deny parents that choice and children that opportunity."

He received mostly polite applause in a room with some empty seats, two days after Obama received a thunderous reception from a standing-room only audience hoping to see him become the first black president of the United States.

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Obama warns against 'fighting the last war'

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama warned Wednesday about the danger of "fighting the last war" as he pledged to focus on emerging nuclear, biological and cyber threats if elected president.

Among those joining him for a panel discuss at Purdue University were two potential running mates, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga. As the former governor of a Republican state, Bayh could help Obama. Nunn, a defense expert from the South, would burnish the ticket's experience.

When asked if he were interested in the job or had provided material to vetters, Bayh repeatedly referred reporters to the Obama campaign. Nunn said he thought an Obama-Nunn ticket was unlikely.

"If anyone offered me any high office in U.S. government, I'd be greatly honored and I'd talk to him. Certainly I would talk to Sen. Obama if he wanted to talk about it, but I think the chance of an offer are pretty slim," Nunn said.

Obama said two goals of his administration would be to secure all loose nuclear material during his first term, as well as rid the world of nuclear weapons.

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Obama predicts black voter increase, Southern wins

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - If Barack Obama's historic campaign to become the first black president boosts black turnout as drastically as he predicts, he could crack decades of Republican dominance across the South.

That's a big "if."

Still, an Associated Press analysis of U.S. Census and voting data from the past four presidential elections shows a potentially dramatic impact should Obama fulfill his pledge to elevate black participation by 30 percent.

That would add nearly 1.8 million votes in 11 Southern states, the analysis shows, enough to tip the balance in several that have been Republican strongholds.

Besides the likely increase in black turnout, the Illinois senator also expects a surge of young voters to help him compete in states that have been reliably red since the once solidly Democratic South flipped to the Republicans in 1964.

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Ex-Clinton aide checked before joining Obama team

CHICAGO (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton's former campaign manager, now on Barack Obama's team, says she could easily work for her old boss again if Clinton were on the Democratic ticket.

Clinton replaced Patti Solis Doyle after poor early showings in the primaries, but Solis Doyle told The Associated Press on Wednesday she didn't think their longtime friendship was permanently damaged. She joined the Obama campaign last month as chief of staff to Obama's eventual running mate.

Solis Doyle said her move came as no surprise to Clinton. Still, some of Clinton's backers were outraged by what they saw as a slight to Clinton and an indication that she would not get the vice presidential slot.

She said she understood the "deep emotion and passion."

"But as heartbreaking as it was, she lost," Solis Doyle said. "And now it's time, for the good of our country and for the good of my kids, to move on and get Barack Obama elected."

Solis Doyle was Clinton's scheduler during Bill Clinton's first run for the presidency in 1992. She continued with her through eight years in the White House, the former first lady's Senate bid and her unsuccessful campaign for president.

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Federal judge rules against RNC protesters

ST. PAUL (AP) - A federal judge in Minneapolis sided with St. Paul city and police leaders Wednesday in rejecting a protest group's attempt to get closer in time and space to the upcoming Republican National Convention.

Judge Joan Ericksen said the government officials have security reasons to justify the restrictions on the permit for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War.

The group plans to march in St. Paul on Sept. 1, first day of the convention. Its members wanted thousands of marchers to get closer to the Xcel Energy Center and be able to conduct the parade from the Capitol later in the day, when the convention will be in session and delegates will see them.

A city permit keeps marchers at least 84 feet away from the arena's doors and orders them to clear the streets around the arena by midafternoon. The coalition is expecting 30,000 to 50,000 people to participate.

Ericksen said the restrictions are content-neutral and narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest. She said they don't squelch free speech.

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DAILY TRACK

Democrat Barack Obama holds a slight lead nationally over Republican John McCain - 47 percent to 44 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 discussed national security with voters in West Lafayette, Ind.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain spoke at the NAACP's 99th annual convention in Cincinnati.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Sen. Obama has achieved a great thing, for himself and for his country, and I thank him for it. ... Don't tell him I said this, but he is an impressive fellow in many ways." - Republican John McCain, in speech before the NAACP.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Twenty percent of respondents in a recent AP-Yahoo News poll said "too old" describes Republican John McCain "very well," compared with 14 percent who felt strongly that Democrat Barack Obama is "too young."