Presidential race On the trail

The latest developments on the campaign trail:

What’s the difference between the presidential campaign before and after the national political conventions? Lipstick. The colorful cosmetic has become a political buzzword, thanks to Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s joke in her acceptance speech that lipstick is the only thing that separates a hockey mom like her from a pit bull. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama told an audience Tuesday that GOP presidential nominee John McCain says he’ll change Washington, but he’s just like President Bush. “You can put lipstick on a pig,” he said to an outbreak of laughter, shouts and raucous applause from his audience, clearly drawing a connection to Palin’s joke even if it’s not what Obama meant. “It’s still a pig. ...”

McCain on Tuesday moved a campaign rally from a Fairfax County, Virginia, high school after complaints that the school was hosting a partisan political event during classroom hours. School system policy states that “school buildings and grounds may not be used for campaign activities during school hours.” However, Superintendent Jack Dale had agreed to make an exception, saying that the rally today with McCain and Palin would be a good educational experience for students.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden went for the jugular Tuesday, as he repeatedly accused McCain and Palin of waging a campaign of deception. “We need a little bit of honesty in this campaign,” said Biden.

Republican John McCain has a 5-percentage-point lead over Democrat Barack Obama — he has 49 percent to Obama’s 44 percent — among registered voters in the presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll daily tracking update.

Source: Combined dispatches