Obama's shock and awe Wednesday: throwing all assets at McCain

KISSIMMEE, FL.–The Obama campaign, always big, right from the start, is intent on finishing up with a big multi-front splash. That’s how they planned it, Obama chief strategist David Axelrod said on the Obama plane, flying from North Carolina to Florida, both battlegrounds.

Axelrod and company wanted insurance that momentum would continue on Obama’s side in the final weekend and as early voting is already taking place throughout much of the country. Six days before the election, Obama’s team produced a “shock and awe” Wednesday, throwing up a stunning number of assets at John McCain:

ORLANDO, FL.–The Obama campaign, always big, right from the start, is intent on finishing up with a big multi-front splash. That’s how they planned it, Obama chief strategist David Axelrod said on the Obama plane, flying from North Carolina to Florida, both battlegrounds.

Axelrod and company wanted insurance that momentum would continue on Obama’s side in the final weekend and as early voting is already taking place throughout much of the country. Six days before the election, Obama’s team produced a “shock and awe” Wednesday, throwing up a stunning number of assets at John McCain:

Obama slammed McCain in a new ad for choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate; stared in a 30-minute infomercial with saturation televised coverage; made a first-ever appearance with Bill Clinton; gave big interviews with Jon Stewart and Charlie Gibson and delivered three stem winders, sharing a stage with Joe Biden in Sunrise, Florida.

All this while McCain is playing the only cards he has left for the dwindling number of undecided voters in key states–raising questions about Obama’s associations and experience.

The abundance of campaign cash allowed Obama to make massive television time buys, with the infomercial featuring Obama “real people” designed to erase any last minute doubts people may have about Obama’s lack of experience.

“I’m sure that you can still get media, but it obviously is tight,” said Axelrod, noting that the McCain campaign is defending red state turf.

“It can’t be a good sign when you are buying West Virginia and Montana and you are the Republican nominee,” said Axelrod, including heavy buys aimed at Indiana, where Obama will appear in Gary on Friday.

Said Axelrod, “And so these are states that they never ever expected to compete in on the last weekend.”