Obama raises record $66 million in August

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised a record $66 million in August, a campaign spokesman said on Sunday.

The latest figures may bolster expectations of a money advantage that Obama could have over Republican candidate John McCain in the final two months of the election campaign.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the August figure was helped by 500,000 new donors. The tally for the latest month exceeded the $55 million for February, which marked a record for Obama and an all-time high for any presidential candidate during a primary.

After far surpassing McCain in private fundraising, earlier this year Obama opted against taking public funds for the final stretch of the campaign.

Obama raises record $66 million in August....

While Obama Braces for Race-Baiting Election Ads, His Campaign Hones its Rapid Response

By: Charles Babington, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - (AP) A presidential candidate who's named Hussein and wears a turban? A building that's called the White House but run by a black guy?

Those political images and ideas already have found their way onto TV airwaves and campaign buttons, possible harbingers of racially tinged messages in a general election involving the first black candidate to head a major party's ticket.

Though the election is more than four months away, the campaigns of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are shaping their strategies for dealing with such appeals.

The Obama campaign vows to fight back fiercely and fast, not repeating John Kerry's mistake of waiting to respond to the 2004 "Swift Boat" ads that Democrats saw as a smear of his military record. McCain's camp is alert for attacks on its man, too.

While Obama Braces for Race-Baiting Election Ads, His Campaign Hones its Rapid Response....