In the Headlines

"McCain Vows End to 'Rancor,' Betting on Maverick Appeal" (Gerald Seib and Laura Meckler, Wall Street Journal) - Sen. John McCain claimed the Republican party nomination he has sought for almost a decade by pledging to rise above Washington's acrimony as president and strike a new tone by reaching across partisan divides.

"Experts Helping Palin Brush Up on Foreign Policy" (Michael Abramowitz and Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post) - Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is among several national security experts helping brief Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on foreign policy issues as she prepares to hit the campaign trail while cramming for a debate with her Democratic opponent, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), in less than a month, according to officials from Sen. John McCain's campaign.

"Obama Camp Turns to Clinton to Counter Palin" (Patrick Healy and Jeff Zeleny, New York Times) - Senator Barack Obama will increasingly lean on prominent Democratic women to undercut Gov. Sarah Palin and Senator John McCain, dispatching Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to Florida on Monday and bolstering his plan to deploy female surrogates to battleground states, Obama advisers said Thursday.

"Poll: Democratic bounce gone, race tied" (David Paul Kuhn, The Politico) - A poll released today by CBS News reports that Barack Obama's post-Democratic convention bounce has been erased -- and that for the first time, John McCain has drawn even with his Democratic opponent in the network's poll.

On the Morning Shows

Today - Steve Schmidt, McCain's campaign manager: "He's reaching out to everybody in the country. Fighting the oil countries, the drug countries, the special interests. What people are so angry about is the 'me-first' politicians. John McCain's going to clean it out. He's fearless and he's going to bring about the change the American people want. McCain has a record of fighting for change. For Obama it's a word, it's a campaign tactic. He wanted to talk about who he is, about why he loves his country, about why he will always put his country first whether you agree or disagree with him."

(Greg Bobrinskoy contributed to the Morning Report.)