Spin Cycle

With Hillary Clinton now moving off the stage, Obama gets his campaign rolling with a few interesting strategic moves:

1. He is expected to have the DNC today ban contributions from lobbyists and PACs, as his campaign did. Despite lots of stories pointing out that it was a largely symbolic position, it was a really valuable symbol -- tangible evidence of a different kind of politics. It will serve the same function now with McCain and the GOP, and gives Obama some early high ground to keep talking about McCain's deep ties to lobbyists and insiders. Which is a problem for McCain.

2. He will be campaigning today in Virginia -- first Bristow, in northern Virginia, then Bristol, in southwest Virginia. That sends a message that he intends to put Virginia, traditionally a Republican stronghold, in play this fall. Obama is strong in Virginia, and it's a critical buffer -- a key part of a "third way" to 270 electoral votes -- if McCain remains strong in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. Also of note: Bristol, on the Tennessee border, is in Appalachia, so Obama will be reaching out in a region where he's weak, in a state where every vote may count.

3. He will be campaigning with three potential vice-presidential choices -- Sen. Jim Webb, Gov. Tim Kaine, and former governor and current Senate candidate Mark Warner. Any of the three would dramatically improve his chances of adding Virginia to the Dem column, and the joint appearances will spotlight alternatives to Hillary, and presumably tamp down speculation about her as No. 2.