Moveon.org declares drive to register 500,000 young voters

One of the earliest boosters of Barack Obama announced yesterday its biggest effort on behalf of the Democratic nominee: A drive to register 500,000 young voters in battleground states.

"Trust me, my generation is totally behind Barack Obama. But too many of us are still not registered," Eli Pariser, the youthful executive director of MoveOn.org, said in a video posted on the group's website.

For Obama to win the presidency, all that enthusiasm among young people has to be turned into votes on Election Day, reminded Pariser, standing in front of Invesco Field in Denver, where Obama gave his acceptance speech last night.

"Remember Florida in 2000, remember Ohio in 2004?" Pariser said, citing the razor-thin races that cost Democrats Al Gore and John F. Kerry the White House.

"And here's the cool thing, we won't just tip this one election. We'll bring in thousands of folks who'll keep voting progressive for election after election after election," Pariser said. "What we're talking about here is changing politics for the long term."

He said the group needs to raise $2.5 million for the volunteers, technology, and other requirements for the registration drive.

FOON RHEE

In video, Democrats doubt Obama during primaries
Big-name Democrats, one after another, took the stage of the Pepsi Center this week to vouch for Barack Obama's readiness to be president.

But John McCain's campaign is trying to undercut those assurances with a new Web video out yesterday that shows those same Democrats questioning Obama's qualifications during the primaries.

The video shows scenes of turmoil in the world, including Russia's invasion this month of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, while in an inset in the right corner of the screen one Democrat after another criticizes Obama. President Clinton, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Hillary Clinton, and vice presidential nominee Joe Biden are shown raising doubts about Obama's readiness during the primaries.

"With the United States facing incredible challenges from abroad, these Democrats rightly said Barack Obama did not have the experience and judgment to be president," McCain's campaign said.

FOON RHEE

Georgian official in Denver as events unfold at home
DENVER - Davit Bakradze, chairman of the Georgian Parliament, was far from his seat of power when major news arrived from Moscow on Monday: Russia had recognized two of his country's regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as independent, bluntly challenging Georgia's sovereignty.

"My instinct was to head back immediately," Bakradze recalled. "Then I realized it is more important to be here and explain to the world what is happening. What is happening here is in some ways more important than what's happening anywhere else."

Bakradze was part of a seven-member delegation from the former Soviet republic that came to the convention under the auspices of the nonprofit National Democratic Institute.

Unlike some delegations, Georgia brought along a prominent Washington lobbying and public-affairs firm, the Glover Park Group, to raise its profile among American political figures and media.

SASHA ISSENBERG