Obama is aware of that uncertainty. At fund-raisers in San Francisco, he urged supporters not to “stress” and assured them he would prevail. “I will win. Don’t worry about that,” he said to a donors meeting that brought in a record US$7.8 million.

But some of his supporters were worried. Attendees urged Obama to respond more forcefully to attacks, which the Illinois senator indicated he would do so.

Marco Romero, a small business owner in Reno, said Obama’s response to the Russia crisis raised concerns. Obama made two statements about the crisis before television cameras during his vacation but took no questions from reporters.

“I didn’t hear him say much about Georgia, and I think that was a mistake,” Romero, 55, said after meeting Obama at a local restaurant. “I think he should have probably got out there a little bit more. But you know, overall, I think he’ll recover from that.”

So does the campaign. Axelrod downplayed the significance of the Georgia conflict for the general election.

“I don’t think it’s an issue in this campaign,” he said. “I don’t think people are focused on it, serious though it is, because there are so many other things going on.”

The McCain campaign disagrees and sees his rising poll numbers as evidence that voters do, too.

“The movement in the polls is a positive reflection of voters favoring McCain’s positions, his experience and judgment,” said spokesman Tucker Bounds.

If McCain grabbed the spotlight last week, Obama has a chance to recapture it now.

The Democratic convention, where Obama will accept his party’s nomination in a football stadium before some 75,000 people, is just a week away, and his biggest decision — a vice presidential running mate — is expected in the coming days.

Who will join him on the ticket? The campaign is giving no hints, but options include Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

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