Blog Buzz: Barack Obama Mania in Germany, the Latest Campaign Poll Results and Ads

Oba-Germania

Obama's speech in Berlin is creating a lot of buzz in the blogosphere and in the European press. Liberal bloggers think the speech will give Obama a boost. The Bush administration banned State Department officials from attending, though some conservatives don't mind. Obama is getting flak from the conservatives for canceling his visit to U.S. military bases in Germany to "go shopping in Berlin," and for the speech location. McCain, meanwhile, is doing his best to compete by ... lunching in a German restaurant.

Polls, Polls, and More Polls

Recent polls show McCain is making progress in key swing states, and conservatives love it. Liberals are smiling over an MSNBC poll that shows Obama maintaining a 6-point lead over McCain and another that reports Israelis prefer Obama over McCain. Other polls look at what voters want in a vice president. Yet another poll focused on the potential first ladies and found Michelle Obama will most likely be a greater factor in November than will Cindy McCain. Do polls matter at all this far out? Give us your thoughts.

Campaign Ad News

Liberals are condemning McCain's latest ad, which places Barack Obama side by side with Fidel Castro and features a quote from Castro that endorses Obama. One blogger noted the inaccuracies in the connection between Castro and Obama, and McCain's lack of a "sense of class." On the Obama ad front, his recent $5 million Olympic ad package purchase is making waves.

—Gretchen Hannes and Johannah Cornblatt