It's a common strategy as candidates move out of the primary season into the general election and begin to focus more on winning over those crucial independent voters. Obama will push in the months ahead to get support from some of the Reagan Democrats, security moms, and Nascar dads.

Obama also hopes to capture support from moderate Americans in a new campaign pitch. Just yesterday Obama said if he was elected President, he'll ask Americans to look beyond their own interests and serve the nation. That's eerily reminiscent of Republican John McCain's Presidential campaign line in 2000, when he asked Americans to "serve a cause greater than self."

Obama says he'll ask more young Americans to join the military. Speaking in Colorado, a big military state and a big swing state, he said George W. Bush missed an opportunity to invite Americans to serve following 9-11.

"And that is why I won't just ask for your vote as a candidate - I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am President of the United States. This will not be a call issued in one speech or one program - this will be a central cause of my Presidency. We will ask Americans to serve," he said.

This week marked the first conversation between Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The two spoke Monday in Missouri as Obama went from Kansas City to Independence, Missouri. During the conversation an Obama spokesman said the Illinois Senator asked Clinton to campaign both with and for him this fall. The conversation was described as a "terrific conversation." Clinton still has not publicly spoke about Barack Obama. He has only released written statements to date.

Meanwhile, as Barack Obama tours swing states like Ohio, Colorado, and Missouri this week, John McCain has spent time in Mexico City and Colombia - places where no electoral votes are at stake.  After his recent trip to Colombia, a terrorist group there released three American contractors.McCain called the release "great news" and said he had been briefed on the operation, but denied his visit to the country had anything to do with the timing of the rescue.

"There's no way possible that it could have had anything to do with our visit, that I could imagine," McCain said.

A new poll finds more than two in three Americans are "concerned" John McCain would pursue policies similar to President Bush. A USA Today/Gallup poll reports 68 percent are "very" or "somewhat" concerned about the possibility that McCain's goals would reflect those of the President. This, as Barack Obama has consistently portrayed a McCain Presidency as a "third Bush term."

Ahead of a big holiday weekend, Americans have been asked a very important and historical question: Who would you rather have as a BBQ guest this weekend? John McCain or Barack Obama? By a 52 to 45 percent vote the winner is: Barack Obama. Men are about evenly divided but women favor Obama by more than 10 percentage points. Only one in six McCain supporters prefer Obama and one in 20 Obama backers would rather have McCain.