Mon, March 10, 2008 - 6:28 PM

The assembly center inside is Obama-ready as people file to their seats.



University officials said the assembly center seats more about 8,500. And there will be more in the section along the stage that is standing room only.

People filed into the assembly center like cattle, but everyone seems excited.



A fun combination of rock and R&B songs is being pumped through the speakers. And you better believe each song has a message. Right now the crowd’s bopping along to John Fogerty singing, “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play …”

-- Amy Dominello

Ok, here we go. We’re coming to you live from the Barack Obama event in Jackson.

Obama isn’t scheduled to hit the stage here at Jackson State University until 7 p.m.

But this is the big game in Jackson tonight. People are being urged to avoid driving near the university unless they’re coming to the rally.

As you head into the university, vendors are selling Obama T-shirts and posters.



And hundreds of people have lined up way in advance to get into the Lee E. Williams Athletics & Assembly Center.



This crowd is ready.

-- Amy Dominello

In the age of cell phone video cameras, keeping something "off the record" is next to impossible. So it's not surprising that someone pulled out their cell phone and recorded President Bush warbling a song at Saturday's Gridiron dinner.

Marsha Mercer blogged about Bush's performance earlier, presciently noting that the world would only see it if a stealthy camera man or woman surreptitiously recorded the act, since the exclusive dinner is off the record.

So here for your enjoyment is the grainy footage of the first (and probably last) performance of Bush and the Busharoos:



-- Mark Young

The little girl shown sleeping in Hillary Clinton's "Children" ad, which asked voters who they want answering the White House phone at 3 a.m. when "something's happening in the world" has some bad news for the Clinton campaign: She'd rather have Barack Obama answering that call.

Casey Knowles was eight when she appeared (sleeping) in a commercial for a railroad company. Getty made the footage of Knowles available for purchase as stock footage and the Clinton campaign bought it for the ad. Her brother spotted her in the Clinton ad when Jon Stewart was parodying the spot on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."

Knowles, now a high school senior, has been campaigning for Obama.

"I really prefer Obama's message of looking forward to a bright future," she told "Good Morning America."

-- Mark Young

While the Democrats battle it out for the top spot on the fall ballot, Republicans are already looking at whose name will run along side that of John McCain. Fred Barnes at The Weekly Standard argues Mitt Romney would be a logical choice.

Barnes writes:

“Romney has allies in the Bush wing of the Republican party. President Bush favors him as McCain's veep. Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, preferred Romney over McCain in the primaries, but never endorsed him publicly. Karl Rove, the president's political strategist, has hinted that he considers Romney to be McCain's best running mate."

--Neil Simon