Obama to give speech at Broncos stadium

Last month, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama picked the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul, the site of the Republican National Convention in September, to claim victory in the Democratic nomination race - and in the process, to show off his ability to draw a big crowd.

Yesterday, the Democratic Party announced that Obama will deliver his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 28 in Denver's INVESCO Field, the Denver Broncos' stadium, instead of the smaller indoor arena that will house the rest of the festivities.

The move will give Obama a potent visual in a crucial swing state this fall: a sea of some 75,000 fans, packed into an outdoor football stadium, screaming for their November hopeful.

"The Democratic Party is nominating a true change candidate this August, and it is only fitting that we make some big changes in how we put on the convention," Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement. "Senator Obama's candidacy has generated an enormous amount of excitement and interest, not only in the Democratic Party, but also in the 2008 convention. By bringing the last night of the convention out to the people, we will be able to showcase Barack Obama's positive, people-centered vision for our country in a big way."

Matt Burns, the communications director for the Republican National Convention, responded: "Not surprisingly, Senator Obama and his fellow Democrats are more focused on stagecraft and theatrics than providing real solutions to the challenges facing our nation."

SCOTT HELMAN

The latest polls are showing a neck-and-neck race, but there's one area where Democrat Barack Obama is clearly besting his Republican rival, John McCain: Internet traffic. According to Nielsen Online, which tracks online usage, Obama's website drew 2.3 million unique visitors in May, compared with 563,000 for McCain's.

The Obama campaign has also been paying for more Web display ads, Nielsen Online reports: Obama logged 105,658,000 "image based impressions" in May, compared with 8,551,000 for McCain. But McCain's campaign has been more aggressive with its "sponsor-based links," those text-based ads that come up on the top and right sides of your computer screen when you do a search. In May, McCain logged 5,447,000 "sponsored link impressions," compared with 1,806,000 for Obama.

JOANNA WEISS

Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, a decorated military veteran and swing-state emissary often mentioned as a possible running mate for Barack Obama, said unequivocally yesterday that he does not want the job. Webb said in a statement that he believes his "efforts and talents" are better suited to the Senate.

"Last week I communicated to Senator Obama and his presidential campaign my firm intention to remain in the United States Senate, where I believe I am best equipped to serve the people of Virginia and this country," he said. "Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for vice president."

Webb said he will campaign hard for Obama in Virginia."At this time I am also renewing my commitment to work hard to make sure that Senator Obama wins both Virginia and the presidency this November," Webb said. "He is a man who speaks eloquently about our national goals and calls for the practical solutions that must be put into place to obtain them. I will proudly campaign for him."

SCOTT HELMAN

ST. LOUIS - The airplane carrying Barack Obama made a precautionary landing in St. Louis yesterday after the crew had a problem keeping the nose up on takeoff from Chicago. The MD-80 Midwest charter, struggled to keep the nose at the necessary angle, as it left for Charlotte, N.C., the pilot said. The National Transportation Safety Board said it planned to investigate the incident.