Price is no object

The GOP will have all the money needed to run an effective campaign against Barack Obama.

John McCain's campaign expects to leave the Republican National Convention with $200 million in the bank and be able to match the Democrats' spending in the next two months, an aide said.

The concern over money was always a media story, not a reality based one.

McCain will depart from the St. Paul, Minnesota, convention with $84.1 million in federal funds and the Republican National Committee will have about $125 million, the campaign aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Fundraisers are working to bring in another $80 million to $100 million over the next two months, the aide said.

In reality, you can only spend so much money effectively over two months, and these sorts of numbers are plenty.

With an increase in fundraising following McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, Republicans say they are no longer in danger of being swamped by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign cash.

In retrospect, the Obama campaign might be wishing they'd made their candidates change image more important than the money, and stayed in the federal system. $100 million might not be enough to buy back the points he lost on integrity by going back on his promises.

Obama, 47, has raised more than $400 million for his presidential campaign. Since clinching the nomination in June, he has raised about $80 million a month for his campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

His fundraising goal, if met, may mean $100 million more to spend on the campaign than the Republicans.

Pelosi's Game

Turns out Barack's slippery game on oil matches up with Nancy Pelosi's.

California Democrat Nancy Pelosi may be trying to save the planet — but the rank and file in her party increasingly are just trying to save their political hides when it comes to gas prices as Republicans apply more and more rhetorical muscle.

Barack amongst them.

But what looks like intraparty tension on the surface is part of an intentional strategy in which Pelosi takes the heat on energy policy, while behind the scenes she’s encouraging vulnerable Democrats to express their independence if it helps them politically, according to Democratic aides on and off Capitol Hill.

Ah, now we get it. They're so confident that they're going to win the election that they feel comfortable gaming the American people on a highly emotional, very expensive, issue.

Pelosi’s gambit rests on one big assumption: that Democrats will own Washington after the election and will be able to craft a sweeping energy policy that is heavy on conservation and fuel alternatives while allowing for some new oil drilling.

Republicans should be focusing their anger on Barack, not on Pelosi.

Democratic insiders said that Pelosi and other party leaders were “not rattled” by the GOP floor rebellion, and at this point, it’s not clear if the Democrats will even pay a price on energy. State-level polling conducted by Democrats suggests that voters still view President Bush and the GOP as the incumbent power in Washington, and Democratic strategists believe any anti-incumbent wave would hurt Republicans more than Democrats.