No rest for the weary as '08 race turns into sprint

— -- In the marathon of presidential campaigns, every day is a series of sprints.

So it was Saturday as John McCain and Barack Obama crisscrossed four "red" states that historically vote Republican. It was a whirlwind of Marriotts and Hiltons, tarmacs and TV interviews, bluegrass and The Boss, pizzas and sweet potato pie.

There were high notes, such as an Obama rally that drew 100,000 people, and low points, such as when a McCain placard-turned-Frisbee conked a visually impaired toddler on the head.

On Saturday, the two candidates and their entourages, including dozens of reporters, traveled nearly 2,000 miles. Democrat Obama, perhaps reflecting his lead in the polls, went farther: 1,334 miles from Missouri to North Carolina. Republican McCain, perhaps reflecting his role as the underdog, hit more states: North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio.

All those states voted for President Bush four years ago, and McCain probably must take them all to win the White House. So they get a lot of VIP traffic these days; others are flyover territory.

People who live in four of the nation's five largest states — California, Texas, New York and Illinois, with a combined population of 92 million — aren't seeing the candidates except for fundraisers in Hollywood or Manhattan, or an occasional Obama visit to his home in Chicago.

But if you're one of the 1.3 million people in New Hampshire, you're being showered with attention. Obama and VP candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were there last week. McCain plans to visit on Wednesday.

The 2008 campaign trail these candidates traverse daily combines eternal verities such as junk food, rope lines and fights about the best tax-cut plan with new twists, like chants of "Drill, Baby, Drill."

The buzz of activity Saturday began long before the candidates awoke. Planes and buses had to be tuned up, bags picked up, rally sites prepared. It ended long after the candidates had gone to bed. The autumn days may be growing shorter, but campaign days simply extend from before dawn to long after dusk.