McCain, Obama target west

Washington, Oct. 25: Barack Obama and John McCain venture into the next-to-last weekend of their testy presidential campaign with the same target-winning states in western US that could be vital on election day.

Mr Obama was resuming his campaign on Saturday after putting aside political events on Thursday night and Friday to spend time in Hawaii with his grandmother, who he has described as gravely ill. He’ll be holding two rallies in Nevada on Saturday before heading to New Mexico.

Mr McCain, pivoting from his three stops in Colorado on Friday, will also be pushing hard in New Mexico on Saturday. Once reliable Republican territory, much of the West has seen its politics and demographics shift over the last decade as the Hispanic population, which tends to favour Democrats, has grown.

Three states that went to President George W. Bush in 2004 are considered still in play to varying degrees — Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico — and could be key if the election gets tight.

As the collapsing economy consumes voter attention, Mr McCain has seized a line of attack that Mr Obama is poised to deepen the problem by raising taxes. He said on Friday in Denver that Mr Obama won’t target the rich but rather the middle class by putting it "through the wringer."

"The answer to a slowing economy is not higher taxes, but that is exactly what is going to happen when the Democrats have total control in Washington," Mr McCain said.

Mr Obama has proposed a tax increase on the 5 per cent of taxpayers who make more than $ 250,000 a year and advocates tax cuts for those who make less.

—AP

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Bush and Laura cast early absentee ballots

Washington, Oct. 25: US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush on Saturday cast absentee ballots in the November 4 election that will decide who succeeds him, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

"Today the President and Ms Bush cast their ballots for the 2008 election during the early voting process. The ballots will be mailed back to Texas on Saturday," she said in a brief statement emailed to reporters. "They plan to be here at the White House on election night," she said. Later, Ms Perino sent a follow up message. "I find this hard to believe ... But so many reporters have asked just who the President voted for, I guess have to make it clear," she said.

"For months the President has said he supports John McCain for President and of course he voted for him." —AFP