Campaigning across the battleground state of Florida in his "Straight Talk Express" bus on Thursday, John McCain invoked "Joe the Plumber" at events aimed at blue-collar workers. He says the Ohio tradesman is the kind of voter who would be harmed by Sen. Barack Obama's economic policies. "There's Joes all over here," McCain said at a lumber yard in Ormond Beach.

In Indianapolis, Obama mocked McCain for making "the strange argument that the best way to stop companies from shipping jobs overseas is to give more tax cuts to companies that are shipping jobs overseas. More tax cuts for job outsourcers. That's what Senator McCain proposed as his answer to outsourcing."

AHEAD IN BIG TEN CONFERENCE STATES

John McCain faces double-digit deficits in eight Midwest states, including Minnesota, with only 12 days to make up the difference, a poll released Thursday showed. Barack Obama leads in the eight states that are home to universities in the Big Ten Conference, according to a poll sponsored by those universities. The poll showed Obama up 10 points in Indiana, 11 in Pennsylvania and 12 in Ohio. He is up 13 points in Wisconsin and Iowa, 19 in Minnesota and 22 points in Michigan. In his home state, Illinois, he's up by 29 points.

RNC DOESN'T BUY HIS CLOTHES

McCain isn't happy about having to explain why the Republican Party has had to buy running mate Sarah Palin $150,000 in clothes, hair styling and accessories. He was asked several questions about the shopping spree -- and he answered each one more or less the same way. "She needed clothes at the time. They'll be donated at end of this campaign. They'll be donated to charity," McCain said between Florida rallies. He offered no further comment, except to say that the RNC doesn't buy his clothes.

WHAT QUACKS LIKE A DUCK?

Speaking at UNC Charlotte on Thursday, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden sought to tie McCain's economic policies to those of President Bush. "If it walks like a duck, if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it's a duck," he said. "Well guess what? John McCain and Sarah Palin are quacking like George Bush."

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