Obama, McCain focus on battleground states

— -- Barack Obama said Monday that former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who endorsed his candidacy for president this weekend, will be one of his top advisers and could play a formal role if he chooses.

"Whether he wants to take a formal role, whether that's a good fit for him, is something we'd have to discuss," the Democratic nominee said Monday on NBC's Today Show.

"I won't lie to you, I would love to have him at any stop," Obama said. "Obviously, if he wants to show up he's got an open invitation."

John McCain, the Republican candidate and a longtime friend of Powell, said Sunday he was not surprised by the endorsement, but noted that he had the support of four other former secretaries of state, all veterans of Republican administrations: Henry Kissinger, James A. Baker III, Lawrence Eagleburger and Alexander Haig.

Today, both campaigns are keeping their eyes focused solidly on the key battleground states as they move into the last two weeks of campaigning.

The Republican campaigned in Missouri before heading back to Pennsylvania, his campaign's primary target among traditionally Democratic states.

"My friends, we need Missouri on Nov. 4 and with your help we're going to win Missouri and bring real change to Washington, D.C.," McCain said at a rally in a St. Louis suburb. "We have 15 days to go. We're a few points down. The national media has written us off —as they have several times in the past."

McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will make three campaign appearances in Colorado on Monday, as she wraps up a swing through the Southwest.

Obama was in Florida for two stops in the traditionally GOP state, including a joint appearance with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in Orlando.

In other political developments:

•Sen. Joe Biden, Obama's running mate, released medical records to reporters that show no reason for concern about another aneurysm. The records show that the Delaware Democrat appears to be in very good health, with some of the routine issues of aging, butno evidence that he has had a brain scan to rule out completely another aneurysm like the one that required emergency lifesaving surgery 20 years ago.