Posted by Mike Dorning at 7:00 am CDT.

This election, Democratic presidential candidates are getting religion. And their web sites are starting to show it.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Saturday became the first Democratic presidential candidate to unveil a web site devoted to religious outreach. It includes a description of Obama's faith principles and testimonials from religious leaders, including his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright who says he supports Obama because "of his incarnated faith--his faith made alive in the flesh."

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) today unveiled his own web site themed on faith and moral leadership.

A spokesman for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) said her campaign will have its own faith-oriented web site up soon.

Posted by John McCormick at 11:43 a.m. CDT

After getting criticized for possible hypocrisy for driving a V8 Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C, Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has switched to a hybrid.

Although he rarely drives his own car these days because of his Secret Service protection, an Obama spokesman told the Detroit News of the switch late this week.

In a recent speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Obama criticized U.S. automakers for not doing more to boost fuel efficiency. At the time, he acknowledged his desire for a big car to fit his own large frame.

Posted by John McCormick at 11:10 a.m. CDT

As Democratic presidential candidates gather in Cedar Rapids this evening, Sen. Barack Obama will be conspicuously missing.

Instead of speaking to some of Iowa's leading Democrats at the Hall of Fame banquet, Obama will be raising money on the West Coast.

That decision has left some Iowans cold.

From The Des Moines Register's front-page story today on Obama's decision to skip one of the state's premiere Democratic events:

"Obama's absence will be noticeable when Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson each take the podium at the Five Seasons Crowne Plaza hotel.

When the speeches start, Obama is scheduled to be wrapping up a series of four fundraisers in Washington state and northern California. "It's a terrible mistake," said former Iowa Democratic Party chairman Gordon Fischer. "It may not matter in the long run, but it's a mistake."

Posted by John McCormick at 10:52 a.m. CDT

If you haven't already read enough about the junior senator from Illinois, the latest book about him will be hitting the stores late this summer. Tribune reporter David Mendell followed Barack Obama during his 2004 U.S. Senate bid and has been working on a biography ever since.

Obama: From Promise to Power is due out in mid-August, but Amazon.com is already taking advance orders. A copy of the jacket cover can be seen here.

Posted by Christi Parsons at 10:45 a.m. CDT

A doodle by Barack Obama sold on eBay yesterday for more than $2,000.

The proceeds went for charity, but maybe the final bid price will inspire a new fundraising strategy for the Illinois Democrat.

Or maybe his Senate colleagues will offer him money to stop drawing pictures of them. The doodles appear to be of (from left to right) Sens. Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Dianne Feinstein and Ted Kennedy. Or is that last one former House Speaker Denny Hastert?

Posted by John McCormick at 10:10 am CDT, updated 2:30 pm CDT.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama today pledged he would provide access to health insurance for all Americans by lowering costs, improving technology and rolling back tax cuts for some.

"To help pay for this, we will ask all but the smallest businesses who don’t make a meaningful contribution today to the health coverage of their employees to do so," Obama said. "And we will allow the temporary Bush tax cut for the wealthiest Americans to expire."

But Obama stopped short of mandating that all Americans be required to have insurance, much like states do with drivers. While he would require coverage for children, adults would be allowed to buy into a federal program, with rates based on their income.

Leaving that option open makes his plan fall short of true universal coverage and likely would leave many still without insurance, according to some experts.

Posted by John McCormick at 3:35 p.m. CDT

HANOVER, N.H. -- As he prepares for an upcoming Democratic presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that he expects to turn in a better performance than he did in his first national debate in late April.

"I assume that I'll get better as time goes on," Obama said during a news conference at Dartmouth College, where he concluded a two-day campaign swing through New Hampshire.

At the first debate in South Carolina, where all eight declared Democratic presidential candidates appeared, Obama was generally given so-so reviews.

The Democrats are set to face off again here in New Hampshire on Sunday.

Posted by John McCormick at 12:39 p.m. CDT

HANOVER, N.H. -- After a relatively quiet weekend in northern New Hampshire, Sen. Barack Obama is ending his two-day swing through the state here on the campus of Dartmouth College. And the crowds are back.

Hundreds -- probably thousands -- of people are lined up waiting for Obama's outdoor rally, scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. Chicago time. After the rally, Obama is set to meet with reporters before heading to Iowa for a Monday evening event. On Tuesday, he will outline his health care proposal in Iowa City.

Posted by John McCormick at 10:21 a.m. CDT

LITTLETON, N.H. -- Sen. Barack Obama paid his Memorial Day respects here by laying a wreath in front of a war memorial outside the town's community center.

"This is a day in which we reflect on those who have fallen and the incredible sacrifices that they made on behalf of all of us," he told reporters before his first political event of the day here at a senior center.

Before his arrival, a television crew modified nature, so that a branch from a tree would not interfere with the shot.

Posted by John McCormick at 6:05 a.m. CDT

CONWAY, N.H.—Selling himself in a politically independent section of the state, Sen. Barack Obama attracted more than 1,000 people here Sunday as he campaigned across this state's often-overlooked northern section.

Dressed in khakis, with shirt sleeves rolled up, the Democratic presidential candidate played up to the standing-room-only audience, many of whom have ties to the recreation industry that is central to the Mt. Washington Valley.

"We're scouting out spots for some summer travel and then in the fall," he joked. "We may dump the kids, and just Michelle and I have a little romantic weekend sometime, with TV cameras and Secret Service following us. It will be a little intimate affair."