Posted on 10/21/2008 1:50:27 AM PDT by LisaAnne
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama will leave the presidential campaign trail to visit his ailing 85-year-old grandmother in Hawaii, whose health has deteriorated in recent weeks, an aide said on Monday.
With two weeks left in an intense battle for the White House, Obama will hold a campaign event in Indianapolis on Thursday and then fly to Hawaii to see his grandmother before returning to campaigning on Saturday, aide Robert Gibbs said.
"Senator Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has always been one of the most important people in his life," Gibbs said in a statement.
"Along with his mother and his grandfather, she raised him in Hawaii from the time he was born until the moment he left for college."
The campaign interruption comes as both candidates head into a final sprint for the November 4 election. Obama criticized Republican White House rival John McCain for a "say-anything, do-anything" political style as he launched a two-day tour to kick off early voting in Florida.
McCain told supporters in Missouri that "nothing is inevitable" and he could still beat Obama, who leads in national opinion polls as the pair began a frenzied race to the finish line.
Obama's former Democratic rival, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, joined the Illinois senator at a rally of 50,000 people in Orlando.
"In the final days of campaigns, the say-anything, do-anything politics too often takes over," Obama said. "We've seen it before. Hillary has been subject to it before.
"We're seeing again today -- ugly phone calls, misleading mail and TV ads, careless, outrageous statements -- all aimed at keeping us from working together, all aimed at stopping change," he said.
Obama noted McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, told reporters on Sunday that if she called the shots she would end the automated phone calls being made by McCain's campaign, including some that link Obama with 1960s radical Bill Ayers.
"You have to work really hard to violate Gov. Palin's standards on negative campaigning," Obama said.
McCain defended the calls, shrugging off Palin's remarks in an interview to be aired on Tuesday morning.
"Well, Sarah is a maverick," McCain told CBS' "Early Show." "That robocall is absolutely accurate and by the way, Senator Obama's campaign is running robocalls as we speak."
Florida a battleground
Obama planned to spend two days in Florida to encourage voters to cast their ballots early in the battleground state, which has 27 electoral votes and is vital for either candidate in their quest for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.
Standing on stage next to Obama, Clinton highlighted the financial crisis as she urged Florida voters to choose Obama.
"Now is the time to close the deal for Barack Obama and close the book on eight years of failed Republican leadership," she said, linking McCain to President George W. Bush.
"Sending the Republicans to clean up the economic mess in Washington is like sending the bull to clean up the china closet." It was the third time Clinton and Obama have campaigned together since he clinched the Democratic nomination in June.
A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll showed Obama with a 6-point edge on McCain. A new CNN poll gave Obama a 5-point lead among likely voters, down from an 8-point edge two weeks ago. Other polls also showed a tightening race.
At a rally outside Kansas City, Missouri, McCain jumped on comments from Obama's running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, that Obama would be tested with an international crisis within six months of becoming president.
"We don't want a president who invites testing from the world at a time when our economy is in crisis and Americans are already fighting in two wars," McCain said.
"Senator Obama won't have the right response, and we know that because we've seen the wrong response from him over and over during this campaign."
Obama touted his endorsement from Republican former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"He will have a role as one of my advisers," Obama said on NBC's "Today" a day after earning the endorsement of Powell, who is also a retired four-star general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"Whether he wants to take a formal role, whether that's a good fit for him, is something we'd have to discuss."
There was a photo posted on another thread tonight that appeared to show Obama with his older daughter, holding a fruit basket while waiting for a hospital elevator.
Maobama has used his "typical white person" grandmother as a stage prop more than the styrofoam columns. Your grandmothers and mine are/were not stage props. He is one of the most contrived candidates I've seen in my life, on a par with the clintons. You should see his ads running in the D.C./Northern Virginia area, you'd thing he was a white person with dark skin from watching those. I share Len....Alphabet's cynicism on this guys as I think do many others. Not trying to bitc# slap you friend, just trying to point out what some of us believe are essential truths about the creepy maobama.
Maybe he’s going to give his grandmother one last upbraiding for being too prejudiced.
disgusting comment!
Is this development more likely to hurt him because it takes him away from campaigning, or more likely to help him because of a sympathy vote?
I am sure he could care less. His grandmother means more to him than some election.
Really! What is going on with the dude complaining?
Next up he promises fluffy kittens and cuddly puppies to all the children who nag their parents to vote for him.
This is the grandmother that he called a "typical white person", distance himself from for political purposes and it is rumored that he and his wife have kept her from seeing her grandchildren all these years....now that is disgusting.
Sorry, but call me skeptical.
How do you know she is “gravely ill”? All we have on that is from the Obama campaign. And you believe anything the Obama campaign says?
Are you Barack or Michele? You have NO idea what’s important to him......now go take your well needed nap.
He was in Hawaii this year. I am sure he visited her then. How do we know one way or the other?
Are you Barack or Michele? You have NO idea what’s important to him......now go take your well needed nap.
Archy Go stick it where the sun don’t shine. Oops sorry you enjoy that type of thing.
“Well he isn’t in any big rush to get there. He throws this news out on a Monday night about a late Thursday trip?
Garbage story.”
That was my first thought, as well. If she is so “close to death,” why doesn’t he rush there now? It’s like he’s saying: “Hold on, Grams, I’ll come by later this week afte I hustle some more votes.”
It doesn’t quite pass the smell test.
So whats wrong with Grammy?.
She has been fine for 85 years (except for being racist) now she is suddenly ill with an undisclosed condition.
“His grandmother means more to him than some election.”
He has hever shown any such sentiment. If Grams meant more to him than the election he’d be in Hawaii right now, not waiting until the end of the week, after hustling votes amd attending rallies, to finally go.
It’s highly suspect. wasn’t Bidens MIL gravely ill too?
What happened with that?
Bingo
All we know is that he didn’t care that she might be attacked by a thug demanding money because the thug happened to be black and that he called her names and treated her terrible. She was the provider for the family and he had no respect for her. There will be a very special place in h@ll for people who treat their grandparents like that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.