IN THE HEADLINES Obama, family spend Fourth of July in red-state Montana, celebrate daughter's 10th birthday ... Florida Gov. Crist, possible running mate for John McCain, engaged to marry ... Obama woos Montana and its 3 electoral votes despite state's history of voting Republican ... ___ Obama and family spend Fourth of July in Montana BUTTE, Mont. (AP) _ It was a family Fourth of July for Democrat Barack Obama as his wife, daughters, sister and other relatives helped him make an Independence Day play for this reliably conservative state. Obama paid tribute to a nation in which the son of a single mother could rise to such heights. "I know that there is no other country out there where I could be standing before you as somebody who could potentially be president of the United States," he said at a campaign-sponsored "family picnic" for hundreds of people _ part rally, part birthday party for his oldest daughter, Malia, who turned 10 on Friday. "We are going to change the world." Cheers greeted Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters everywhere. As they arrived to watch the Fourth of July parade, the crowd broke into a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for Malia. Obama joked that he had to tell the birthday girl not to get caught up in all the fuss. "All the fireworks and stuff are not just for her," he said to laughs. That appeared in part a reference to the special treat the family got Thursday night. Obama's motorcade ferried the family from their private jet to a home high above town that provided a stunning view of the city's late-night fireworks display. Friday's picnic was held on a sunny, green hillside, a mountain vista all around, with checkered tablecloths and plenty of food dotting the property of the World Mining Museum. ___ Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist proposed to girlfriend TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) _ Gov. Charlie Crist won't be living alone in the governor's mansion much longer _ he is engaged to a woman he met in New York City last September who quickly captured his heart. Crist, 51, asked Carole Rome to marry him Thursday morning at his St. Petersburg apartment, giving her a blue sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds. She immediately said yes. "I'm very happy and couldn't be more pleased. What a great way to celebrate America's birthday," said Crist, who has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Republican presidential candidate John McCain. "We've been talking about it for quite a while. I asked her while we were looking out over Tampa Bay and I couldn't think of a better place to do it." Rome, 38, is the president of Franco American Novelty Co., her family's New York-area Halloween costume company, though she stopped managing its daily business when she moved to Fisher Island near Miami in 2006. Crist said they met at a dinner where he and friends were discussing fundraising. Asked what made him fall in love, Crist said, "Her beautiful smile, her sweetness, her brilliance _ all of it." Crist was briefly married while in college, but was divorced in less than a year. That experience contributed to the long wait between commitments. The couple has been seen together frequently, from a Jimmy Buffett concert in Tampa last November to sporting events and on the campaign trail with McCain. ___ Obama looks to turn Montana blue in the fall HELENA, Mont. (AP) _ Only two Democratic presidential candidates have carried Montana since 1948. Barack Obama is betting he can do it in November. With just three electoral votes and its reputation as a red state, Montana rarely sees presidential candidates in the summer before a general election. Republicans usually take the state for granted, while Democrats don't even try to contest it. But Obama has been spending a sizable amount of time and money on Montana, hiring a state director and staff while running TV ads detailing his background and qualifications. Montana is among fewer than 20 states the campaign is targeting early. "Montana is considered one of the very competitive states," Obama spokesman Caleb Weaver said. Continued... |