US:BARACK OBAMA is to send thousands of campaign volunteers across the US this weekend as part of an urgent effort to create one of the most sophisticated political operations ever to contest a White House election.
Although there are still 143 days left before the election, Mr Obama is moving at speed to establish an operation he hopes will out-organise Republican rival John McCain in the swing states.
About 3,600 volunteers are being dispatched to reinforce advance staff deployed in 17 states. Although he has said he will fight all 50 states, his campaign has identified these as ones that could determine the outcome of the November 4th general election.
The mobilisation comes as Mr Obama and Mr McCain engaged in a dispute over a proposal by the Republican candidate for the two to hold 10 town hall debates between now and the first of the party conventions in August.
Mr McCain, who is at his best in smaller gatherings, expressed disappointment Mr Obama had failed to take up his offer. But Mr Obama's campaign chief, David Plouffe, fired back that Mr Obama had agreed, though only to two such events - one in July and one in August. Mr Plouffe said these two, with the traditional three TV debates in the autumn, would be "the most of any presidential campaign in the modern era".
He added: "It's disappointing that senator McCain and his campaign decided to decline this proposal. Apparently they would rather contrive a political issue than foster a genuine discussion about the future of our country."
Mr Obama's 3,600 volunteers have given a commitment to do at least six weeks of unpaid political work. He put out a call for volunteers in April and more than 10,000 replied.
Mr Obama established a formidable reputation in his battle with Hillary Clinton for grassroots organisation, pinpointing potential voters in places such as Iowa on a scale never before seen in American politics.
He wants to replicate that in the general election, not only in Iowa but into swing states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.